Build your own Infinity Mirror

Build a mirror that seems to go on forever! The optical illusion of light depth in this Infinity Mirror is created with some simple pieces including LED lighting and a mirror backing. Don’t expect to see your own reflection staring back at you though – instead be drawn into an endless tunnel of light. A great weekend project for young and old, and a fun piece to display at home.

With a configuration of two or more parallel mirrors creating a series of ever decreasing reflections that recede into infinity, this optical illusion is often called an “infinite or infinity mirror”.

Often used in home décor as room accents or artwork, they work by adding a set of lights (usually LEDs) around the periphery or edge of a fully reflective mirror and a second mirror know as a one-way mirror or partially reflective mirror. The second mirror is placed a short distance from the fully reflective mirror in a parallel alignment. This placement ensures a straight view of the illusion disappearing into infinity. However, if the alignment is not precisely parallel the viewer will see the illusion curve off to one side as it heads into infinity. This effect can also be seen by the viewer if they stand in between two parallel, fully reflective mirrors.

Most commonly seen in places like bathrooms where mirrors face each other at the hand basins. A beam of light is bouncing back and forth between the reflective surfaces to create the illusion. Each successive reflection adds the perception of distance travelled to the illusion, it adds to the distance to the length the light must travel. This series of repeating images is known as Gabriel’s Horn or Torricelli’s Trumpet.