Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of the entire Universe. No matter where you go, it might be weak or strong, but you can never escape its influence completely. Such are the unbreakable laws of Physics. However, it may not be completely true after all if these pictures are anything to go by. Even if what goes up must come down, perhaps, sometimes, it can stay floating sideways. Here are 40 pictures (some are photoshopped, and some are tricks of light) where the world refused to accept the existence of gravity.
1. Sideways Bicycling
This is clearly a picture turned on its side. However, more often than not, viewers think it’s the shadows that are the real bicyclists at first glance. Just goes to show how easy it is to fool our eyes if we are not paying attention
2. Bent Light
Another picture that is all about the angles. At first glance, it looks like a very steep hill in the middle of a park. However, it’s actually the lamp post that is bent out of shape. The fact that it is still functioning just adds to covering the illusion.
3. Levitating On Sand
This woman is enjoying a sunny day out on the sandy beach with her amazing levitation powers. Well, she is not levitating, the black spot beside her is not her disjointed shadow. It is her towel. The brightness of the picture is also making it tough to see the line where she is sitting on the sand.
4. Sinking Ship
In 2012, the ocean liner Costa Concordia hit a reef and sank after her Captain violated maritime rules of safety. The disaster claimed the lives of 32 people on board. However, even in disaster, a lens titled to align with the sinking wreckage shows a beautiful scene of it gradually getting engulfed by the ocean.
5. A Balcony with a view
This is an actual photograph created in 2001 by artist Philippe Ramette. The background is the skyline of Hong Kong. The structure is made of metal, that looks like it belongs to a bigger submerged vessel. However, there is no confirmation about it.
6. Perfect to the Second
This is a picture from a hiking spot. The picture had to be taken at the perfect millisecond because, otherwise, it is impossible to catch a jet airplane so close to the second. Imagine the thoughts going through the minds of the two hikers!
Read: 20 Unnerving Photos Of Nature That Made Us Want To Stay Inside Forever
7. Interstellar exists?
If you have seen Christopher Nolan’s Inception or Interstellar, you might think it is a still from one of those movies. It actually is not. However, it is a photoshopped image. It’s a drone’s view of the area, photoshopped and merged into a rolling view.
8. STOP gravity
This is one of those pictures where the more you look at it, the more it looks out of place. At first glance, it looks like only the person is defying gravity. But then, you notice that the tree as well as the stop sign is also on their sides. The tree has uprooted, taking the ground as well as the stop sign stuck on the ground.
9. Sleep-dancing Cats
This is actually an aerial shot of OP’s cats sleeping on the sofa. It seems like they are dreaming of some gravity-defying dance moves. Regardless if they win their competition or not, it does seem like they are having a fun time!
10. Product of an accident
Sometimes, the best products are completely accidental. This time around, OP’s camera had malfunctioned, causing it to merge at least three pictures together. The final product is this one where it looks like the earth is actually flat.
11. HoverCar
A brilliant example of how light makes it seem like an object is defying Gravity. Simply because the shadow is not touching the object, we automatically think that the car is floating. Moreover, the shade of the car simply adds to the effect.
12. Cat’s Superpower
There is no trick of the light or Photoshop involved here. This is completely the power of a cat’s inherent balancing abilities. It seems like the creature has managed to find enough space on a tiny ledge on the bed. It also seems like it is more than comfortable simply defying gravity at that spot.
13. A Strong Trunk
It looks like a glitch out of a game taking place in real life. However, the enormous tree is probably leaning towards the road. Originally, it must have had several secondary trunks supporting it on the left side as well. However, they must have been cut down to keep the road clear. Now, the curved right branches are supporting it from a hidden perspective.
14. The Edge of The Sands
OP has reached the edge of the flat earth, and it’s in a desert. That is, however, not the case, and everything in the picture follows the laws of gravity. OP is actually doing a handstand on top of a sand dune. The hint is in where the sky actually is!
Read: 30 Rare Photos Reveal The Unseen Side Of Things, And It Will Change The Way You See The World
15. Rocks Can Pull Up Other Rocks?
This is an actual installation at the entrance of the Cairo airport. The illusion is that the rock above is actually hollow. The rope joining the two rocks also has a steel rod inserted which holds up the top one. Even if it is a trick, it is an extremely well-done installation.
16. Magnificence of the Past
We might be technologically advanced in the 21st century. However, our ancestors were no slouches when it came to geometry and angles. This is the floor of the Florence Cathedral. The perfect symmetry is even more impressive considering how big it is to a single human.
17. Floating Bin
Another object with a levitating hack, it seems. The reasons behind the gravity-defying act, however, are the same as the previous ones. This time, the apparent shadow is actually a wet spot on the road and has nothing to do with the bin. Also, the line where the bin touches the pavement is blurred.
18. Synchronised Sitting
You have heard of synchronized swimming and diving. But have you ever witnessed a synchronized gravity-defying pose? It takes considerable strength to hold that pose at an angle, with half of your body submerged in water. Kudos to the team!
19. More Proof Of a Curved Earth
The phenomenon on display here is called “depth compression”. It is an extreme example of it that takes place an ultra-wide picture is taken in one shot. It makes for a beautiful optical illusion, one has to admit.
20. An accident
Is it a UFO or is it a plane? It is neither. It is a car that is defying gravity, or so it would seem. Here’s the hint to deciphering the picture: turn it upside down! So, it is actually a sunken car with only its roof sticking out. The people on the side are the reflections on the water.
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21. Off a cliff
This man is not defying gravity. If you line up the tree on the top right, you will realize that he is sitting horizontally on a piece of wall on the edge of a cliff. The strength of the man’s core is absolutely astounding to be able to hold that pose.
22. Float-liners
This weird phenomenon is known as refraction. The sunlight is reflected in a modified angle as it gets reflected by the ice in the water. As a result, objects floating on top can appear to be submerged or levitating when they are actually fine.
23. Doggy Brain
Honestly, it is difficult to understand what goes on in the brains of our pets sometimes. Take this situation, for example. Is the cute woof trying to listen to the ground? Or does he just feel like sitting on the wall? Whatever it may be, who’s to stop the doggy from defying gravity?
24. Tensegrity Rules
Tensegrity is a special kind of engineering arrangement, where the weight of the top layer and that of the bottom layer keeps each other in equilibrium. No matter which way there is an imbalance, the chains on the other side will ensure that it will stay standing. This is one of the closest science gets to actually defying gravity.
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25. San Francisco
No, all the buildings are not defying gravity. This is actually a snap of a street in San Francisco, aligned with the road level! That’s how steep the road is compared to the buildings!
26. Best of a bad situation
It seems like someone got into a bit of an accident. As worrying as it is for the driver, one has to wonder how the car actually got into that position. However, everyone aboard probably got out fine, otherwise, they would not be taking this gravity-defying hilarious moment.
27. Tree Takes All
Once more, it is a testament to how strong root systems actually are. This is a picture taken shortly after a storm ravaged the state of Iowa. The tree was uprooted and had taken a significant patch of ground. The ground was still sturdy enough for this person to pose without fear.
28. An Interesting Walk
OP said that she was out on a walk in the morning when she took the picture. However, as interesting as the feat is, she is not actually walking upside down. If you notice, her right hand is perfectly hidden behind her body. So she is probably using it to pose upside down in the manner. A lot of strength, nevertheless.
29. Don’t Let Go!
This is a scene straight out of a nightmare. An apparently straight road has turned into a long drop into the abyss. However, in this case, it is only staged, and the bicyclist is perfectly safe. The photographer definitely had to try hard to get into position, though.
30. Two Brains of a Kind
It seems like the doggy brain is back at it again! This time around, we have one of them following the example splendidly set by the other. Their objective? To sit on the wall. Truly a gravity-defying moment.
31. What Gravity?
Cats are a bit more overtly defiant of the laws of gravity than dogs are. Here, we see a specimen sitting horizontally on the armrest without any sign of discomfort. If we didn’t know better, this would be enough proof for someone to believe that gravity is a hoax.
32. Walking on the ceiling
Cats can end up in the most amazing places when we aren’t looking at them. This time around, it seems like the cat has walked up the wall and on top of the ceiling. How did it get into that position? Only the cat gods know.
33. Levitating Bird
We know birds can fly. However, floating and flying are two very different things. Here, it seems like the crow is simply floating without exercising a single muscle. Magic? No, the crow hopped the moment the picture was taken creating this illusion.
Read: 50 Pics Capturing the Often Overlooked Beauty of Humanity
34. The Wonders of Aerial Photography
Technology has advanced so much, and drone photography gives us some amazing products like this example, where the woman is actually lying down on the bottom step. However, the aerial angle makes it seem like she is sitting on an ancient throne with some kind of fictional power source at her back.
35. Effort Goes A Long Way
At the same time, creating a gravity-defying illusion does not always need a lot of fancy technology. Sometimes, all you need is some teamwork and a ton of creativity. Of course, that’s in abundance in schools! Notice the neat touch of the water bottle and the umbrella to help with the illusion.
36. Vertigo
The scene for the gravity-defiance in this picture seems to be an underground metro station. Somehow, everyone involved in the picture managed to find the perfect time when the station’s empty. Without any people there, the only reference to break the feeling of vertigo is the chairs.
37. Different Culprit
This time around, it’s not the pets that are defying gravity, but the humans around them. The dog must be wondering what his masters are doing, just as we were wondering about why they liked to sit on the wall. Regardless, the choreography is very commendable.
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38. This One’s Intentional
The cat might put on a face that seems like it has no idea what’s going on, but no way is that true. We believe he is showing off his cuteness completely intentionally. He has absolute control over his gravity-defying powers and is not afraid to use them to get what he wants – our love and attention.
39. Natural Industries
This is the picture of the underside of a pier frozen solid during an intense winter. However, it is upside down. As a result, it has created a surreal representation of a city’s skylines with bellowing industrial chimneys in the background. Nature still remains undefeated in presenting the most beautiful scenes.
40. Can You Spot Why It’s Special?
For our final entry, we have this beautiful picture that looks like a painting. If it feels slightly off at first glance, it’s because it is a reflection in water. The ripples make it perfectly imperfect and it looks like a brilliant artist’s painting.