The Mystery Spot

Einstein

Dimensional Traveler
This is one of my favorite places to go. Where the laws of physics no longer apply.



 
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Cool, but it has to do with optical illusions and tricking the brain. :) Trying to figure out the ball, though.
No! It is not an illusion. There is no smoke, no mirrors, nothing that illusionists use is present. No one has been able to determine how the height of objects can be affected this way. It is a natural anomaly of mother nature. Since the phenomena can be captured on camera, it stands to reason that it is not our internal perception that is at fault.You might try looking around in the area you live to see if there might be something like this for you to experience in person. These anomalies are all over the world.
I took my daughter with me one time. She and I are the same height. But when we stood on that level concrete slab, our heights changed. Then we switched places. One way I was looking up at her as if I actually shrunk. The other way I was looking down at her as if I grew in height.

Of course some people are too stubborn to accept what they see right before their eyes.

 
It is actually, a well studied and highly understood series of optical perception phenomena. The brain, for all of it's magnificence, is easily fooled. I've discussed that in an alternate timeline thread. Here's an easy to understand article. (I'm not implying anyone is stupid. I can offer a highly technical version for anyone that might want one. I've linked to Dr. Eagleman before also. He's very good.)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-knowledge/201305/perception-and-perceptual-illusions

Here's a site that offers many different types of illusions. Check out the Geometric & Angle illusions and the Space, 3D & size illusions and you will see the types of illusions you are experiencing at the Mystery Spot.

Enjoy

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

Einstein;

You're pretty handy. If you can take a frame of the video and use a photoshop program to separate the images in the foreground and background, the building and the people, and turn them to be parallel, relative to each other, the illusion will disappear.

 
GPA

I mentioned the camera doesn't lie. But you seem to be convinced your perception is being fooled because of the surroundings in the field of view. Right? But there is no way those surroundings could have an affect on an actual measurement using a ruler. Agreed? Then go ahead and measure the woman's height using a ruler on your screen. When I measure it, the woman's height is taller when she moves to the right. I was using the pause button on my media player to hold things still during measurements. And I was using the second video for my test. Also I use a large TV monitor for my computer monitor. But my measurement showed the woman gained a 2.3 percent change in height when she moved to the right side.

 
Einstein;

You're big on the evidence of observation over theory. You would have to make your measurement in the real world situation. An objects size, in relation to it's position, whether live or in a picture, will change according to it's position. There is no way to tell the angle between the girl and the camera when she is on the left or right and that angle must be used in the calculation as to size or change in size. Hollywood special effects uses this perception trick all the time.

 
Theory is fiction. It would be impossible to measure this in the real world, because the measuring stick also changes its dimensions. But the angle measurement is the same. The camera is centered on the woman in the center. Of course I understand stubbornness very well. But this phenomena still remains a mystery to all that attempt to analyze it.

I challenge you to go there. Then you actually get to switch places with someone of known height.

Of course there is a device now that wasn't available at the time I visited the Mystery Spot. A laser distance measuring device. I would be curious to see if the device would be in agreement with a tape measure at the Mystery Spot.

 
I've actually been to several. I've taken my children to them as well while on vacations. You will find one in just about every state that has steep mountainous areas or ravines. It's always best to build one against a tilted background, but they don't have to be. They can be disguised in other ways. There was one on Rt 66 but I can't remember exactly where, there may have been several.

http://www.sandlotscience.com/MysterySpots/Mystery_Spots_1.htm

Like the article statements at the end. Even knowing how they work, they are still a blast to visit.

The idea of a laser and surveyors transit and rod would prove "what's what".

 
I do agree that the phenomena is exacerbated by the tilted house and the surroundings. My dad told me he visited the Oregon Vortex. He said that there is a place where a broom stands up and spins without falling over. But my main memory I have is the feeling I felt in switching places with my daughter on a level platform. We both experienced a physical height change. That is something that we could not duplicate outside the Mystery Spot. We both stood face to face with each other. It was a jaw dropping experience.

It does seem that there are many biased opinions of what is happening. But very little fact finding data gathering ever seems to make it into the public's scrutiny.

Here is a video of the Oregon Vortex phenomena.



 
The part that blows my mind is the ball traveling upward. How could it be an illusion (which I thought it was at first) if she proved the "uphill" portion was indeed higher by having people stand on it?

Has anyone studied the area? What is underneath all that stuff?

 
When I was at the Mystery Spot it was mentioned by the guide that there was a book written by a researcher that investigated the Spot. But I never bought the book. I suppose there is lots of info now online that can be had for free.

The uphill rolling phenomena is very common for these areas. You may be able to find one locally where you live. They commonly go by the name of gravity hill. Perhaps do a search for gravity hill locations in Florida.

 
When I was at the Mystery Spot it was mentioned by the guide that there was a book written by a researcher that investigated the Spot. But I never bought the book. I suppose there is lots of info now online that can be had for free.The uphill rolling phenomena is very common for these areas. You may be able to find one locally where you live. They commonly go by the name of gravity hill. Perhaps do a search for gravity hill locations in Florida.
You are correct. Spook Hill in Lake Wales, FL.http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2058
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spook_Hill

Of course, the wikipedia entry calls it an optical illusion.

 
My only problem with the Lake Wales Spook Hill --- the hill goes down and then up. Could the cars have enough momentum from going down hill first to be able to continue rolling upward?

 
Stop your car at the bottom of the hill. Then release the brake.
That would be the only way to legitimately test it, yes. Lake Wales is only about an hour away. I think some weekend I should go check it out and test it for you guys, then take the kids to lunch somewhere fun. :)I'll record it twice -- once while in the car, and again outside of the car to show that the car starts out at the BOTTOM of the hill.
I just hope no other cars come and plummet into us.

 
This sorta thing happens here in Brazil in a lot of places. The more common are the cars that go "up" on a downhill road. Check it out:



 
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