Motion aftereffect

Have you ever stared at something for a really long time and then looked away, and everything around you looked like it was moving? That's called the motion aftereffect!

Here's what's happening: When you look at something, the cells in your eyes called "neurons" send messages to your brain telling you what you're seeing. For example, if you're looking at a bicycle that's moving, those neurons send messages to your brain telling you that the bicycle is moving.

But if you look at something moving for a long time, those neurons get tired, and they stop sending as many messages to your brain. So when you look away, your brain still expects to see something moving, even if there isn't anything actually moving. That's why everything around you seems like it's still moving - your brain is still getting messages from those tired neurons.

It's kind of like if you were playing with a toy car for a long time and then stopped, but your hands still felt like they were moving the car even though it wasn't there anymore.

The motion aftereffect has been studied a lot by scientists because it can help us understand how our brains process movement and visual information. It's also just a really cool and weird sensation to experience!