Optics
The Conic Mirror
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A star can turn into a rose when seen in a conical mirror — and a rose can turn back into a star.
The mirror reshapes the reflected image, revealing a hidden pattern that looks different in direct view.
Look at the picture directly, then look at its reflection in the conical mirror. Can you see the star become a rose — and the rose become a star?
Additional Information
This trick is called anamorphosis, the same principle 16th-century artists used to hide secret images in paintings.
The distorted artwork around the cone is drawn using the mirror’s own curve worked in reverse, so the reflection cancels the distortion out.
Walk around the cone and the reflected image stays surprisingly stable, unlike a flat mirror’s reflection.