The Mirascope — A Real Image in Mid-Air
Yes — the ball you see hovering above the opening is a real image.
Inside are two facing concave mirrors. Light from the object reflects between them and is brought together above the opening, forming an image that appears to float in space.
Unlike an ordinary mirror image, the light rays actually converge at the location of the image. That is what makes it a real image.
Reach toward the floating object. It looks solid — but your fingers pass straight through it.
Additional Information
The floating image is a real image, not a hologram — light really is converging at that spot, which is why you can almost (but not quite) touch it. Move your head side to side and the floating object shifts too, exactly like a solid object would.
The same twin-mirror principle shows up in some medical imaging tools and telescope designs.