English: Looking in the mirror, you can see my right hand, but part of my left hand and the lower half of the child seem to disappear. Why can't you see them if they're also behind the mirror? Wait! How does the mirror show what's behind but not in front?

This invisibility, or so-called cloaking effect, has long fascinated people. In my photo, the effect happens due to the law of reflection, which states that light rays hit a surface at the same angle they reflect. The setup involves two sets of mirrors placed parallel to each other. In each set, the mirrors form a 90° angle, creating an L shape. Because the photo was taken from a distance, the mirrors seem to blend into one. Here's what happens: when light from my right hand hits the mirror in front of it, the 90-degree angle causes it to bounce to the adjacent side mirror. Then, light continues to travel in a zigzag pattern through right-angled reflections. After three reflections, it finally reaches the camera, allowing you to see my right hand. However, during this process, there’s a small region—known as the “cloaking area”—between the two mirrors on the right where light can’t reach the camera. Part of my left arm and the child's body were in this zone, not behind the two mirrors. Therefore, they appeared invisible in the photo.

Overall, the photo shows how physics can create seemingly magical effects.

English: Optical cloaking effect with mirrors