Presleidolia

Bad Astronomy
By Phil Plait
Aug 13, 2011 4:04 PMNov 20, 2019 3:38 AM

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Hey, I haven't posted a fun pareidolia (patterns that look like faces or figures) news article in a while, and this is a good one: a man in Finland found this interesting image on his wall:

[Here's the Google translation into English.] Of course, the article claims it looks like the Virgin Mary. Now look: I know that the standard depiction of Mary is usually with her head bent, covered in a cowl, with a robe of some sort. That kind of figure lends itself to pareidolia -- it's an easy shape to make, from oil stains to an MRI. But this is a pretty far cry from even that! Unless Mary's head is a perfect sphere. It looks very much like this is a simple reflection off a window or other shiny object. The way the light plays on the wall makes that clear. Of course, I cannot rule out a supernatural influence... so if it's not Mary, who is it? I have a hunka hunka burnin' suspicion:

Of course, that picture of The King is from his album called... "Promised Land". COINCIDENCE? Tip o' the sequined cape to Timo Jousimo.


Related posts: - A fiery angel erupts from the Sun - The fist of an angry cloud - A dragon fight in the heart of Orion - Angry slippers are angry (Best. Pareidolia. EVER.)

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