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Can you tell what color these circles are? The answer might surprise you

munker optical ilusion confetti
"Confetti." novickprof/Twitter
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  • There's a new optical illusion that's taking over the internet.
  • It's called "Confetti" and it was created by University of Texas professor Dr. David Novick.
  • While the circles all look like they are different colors, they're actually all the same color.
  • This illusion is based on what's called Munker's illusion.


Dr. David Novick shared a new optical illusion on his Twitter account on July 18, 2018, called "Confetti."

You can check it out below.

Do all the circles look like they're different colors to you?

Then you're not alone.

However, in actuality, all of the circles are the same color, but their shades are distorted by the different-colored lines intersecting them.

The image is an example of a Munker's illusion, or a Munker-White's illusion.

White's illusion
Another example of a Munker-White's illusion.  Zhengyi4411/Wikimedia Commons

You can see it clearly here — these two grays are the same color, but because they're surrounded by black and white bars respectively, they appear to be different shades of gray. According to Danish professor Michael Bach, "This illusion shows how much the perception of color is influenced by the neighborhood. The keyword here is assimilation."

You can try zooming in on the photos to help your eyes see that the circles are, in fact, all one color.

Either way, our brains hurt.

For more great stories, head to INSIDER's homepage.

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Gabbi Shaw
Gabbi Shaw is a reporter on Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers entertainment, travel, food, and lifestyle for Business Insider, and Insider Inc.'s partners, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Tulane University in 2017 with a degree in public health and now lives in New York City. She can be reached on X or LinkedIn.Please send all inquiries, comments, or tips to gshaw@jkmperu.com.Selected stories: