Home > Invisibility

• too small
• behind something else
• transparent
• the same as the background
• too dark
• so massive that its escape velocity exceeds the speed of light (e.g., a black hole)

Radiation is generally invisible outside the wavelength range of visible light.

Visibility also depends on the eyes of the observer and/or the instruments used. Thus one can say "invisible to" and then a person, animal, instrument, etc.

Invisibility can be achieved, or at least approximated, by camouflage.

Making use of real-time image displayed on a wearable display, scientists are able to create a see-through effect, if not invisibility.

Invisibility (lower visibility) for radar is called stealth technology.

Some mystical creatures can make themselves invisible at will, such as Chinese dragons in some tales, which can shrink so small that humans cannot see.

According to physics a truly invisible man should be blind, as the eye works by absorbing photons while transparency would dictate that none would be absorbed. If however the light could somehow be retransmitted with the same properties behind the eye then this could be overcome.

Examples of invisibility devices in fiction:

• In myths and legends, spirits, fairies, angels, and demonSatan In folklore, mythology, and in many religions, a demon is a supernatural entity, generally (but not in all traditions) an evil or malicious spirit. The Greek word daemon ω, appears in the works of Plato and many other ancient authors, withouts are often invisible.
• The ring of GygesThe Ring of Gyges is a mythical magical artifact mentioned by the philosopher Plato in The Republic''. According to the legend, Gyges of Lydia was a shepherd in the service of King Candaules of Lydia. After an earthquake, a cave was revealed in a mountain, described in a story in PlatoFor the computing technology, see PLATO System. Plato ( Greek: Platon (c. 427 BC c. 347 BC) was an immensely influential classical Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, writer, and founder of the Academy in Athens. Plato, who is be's Republic. A peasant finds a ring in the tomb of a dead king which allows him to become invisible at will. Plato has him enter the palace, seduce the queen, and plot to kill the king, arguing that power, such as this, corrupts absolutely.
• The hero Perseus went equipped with a helmet of invisibility to kill MedusaIn Greek mythology, Medusa ("cunning queen"), was the only mortal of the three Gorgon sisters. The gorgons were vicious female monsters with brass hands, sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous serpents. Medusa's cheeks puffed out, and her tongue lolled.
• A magic cloak, made by AlberichAlberich was a legendary sorcerer originating in the mythos of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty. See Oberon. In Richard Wagner's opera Siegfried King Alberich of the dwarves lived in a palace underground, decorated with gems and expensive metals. He was a the dwarfWarhammer Fantasy Battle Dwarf minatures Mythology and Fantasy In Norse mythology, fairy tales, and sword and sorcery fiction and role-playing games, a dwarf is a member of a humanoid race, much like humans, but generally living underground or in mountain, granted invisibility to SigurdIn Norse mythology, Sigurd (also Siegfried was a legendary hero, as well as the central character in the Volsunga saga, Nibelungenlied and Richard Wagner's opera, Siegfried which see for more details. In the Volsung Saga In the Volsungsaga, Sigurd is the.
• In German fairy tales, magical caps called tarnkappes are worn by dwarfs. The caps can make an entire village of dwarfs invisible.
• The Invisible Man ( 1897) by H. G. Wells is a well-known novel about invisibility.
• One function of the One Ring in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series was to render the user invisible. Unfortunately, it had an evil influence with negative effects on the wearer's actions.
• The Philadelphia Experiment, a project to make a ship invisible.
• The movie serial Predator depicts an alien race that achieves invisibility by use of a special kind of suit. Such a suit should really be possible, see external links below.
• The Harry Potter series featured a cloak of invisibility that, when worn, makes the covered body parts, including the clothing beneath the cloak, the cloak itself and perhaps also the contents of the pockets, invisible. The cloak does not stop one from being solid or making noise. When one wears an Invisibility Cloak in a crowd, the wearer has to take great care to not knock into anyone, which leads to awkward questions. Harry has a Cloak that he inherited from his father. Also, another character owned one (this person's identity is a spoiler.)
• In comic books, there are superheroes like the Invisible Woman that have the power to become invisible at will as well as wizards like Doctor Strange who have invisibility spells in their possession.
• Douglas Adams proposed the Somebody Else's Problem field in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• In the Star Trek universe, some ships of the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, as well as the Federation ship USS Defiant, are equipped with pieces of hardware known as cloaking devices that conceal them from most varieties of scans.