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It is in fact an optical illusion well known to cameramen.
The video has been viewed over 25 million times in two days. Posted Monday July 17 on the network Reddit, the video of a bird passing in front of a camera without showing the flapping of its wings intrigued some Internet users. At first glance, the bird appears to be floating in the air, then it looks at the camera, before leaving. Many Internet users were surprised. But, at the risk of disappointing science fiction enthusiasts, this is just a classic optical illusion, due to the camera’s shutter speed.
A camera records a certain number of images per second (24 images per second in the cinema, and 25 images on television, in Europe). By chance, or by deliberate will, the camera can record every image as the wheel of the car (or the wings of the bird), is in the same place. The phenomenon can also be observed on the wheels of a car, in a film. The human eye sees an almost static image, giving the impression that the object is stationary. This is exactly what German cameraman Chris Fay tried to do with the blades of a helicopter last March.