In optics, a state where light rays appear to originate from a specific location without actually passing through it. It describes an image or focal point that cannot be projected onto a screen because the physical light rays do not converge there. Instead, the human eye or a camera traces the diverging rays backward to perceive the source.
The concave mirror creates a virtual image that appears to sit behind the glass surface.
If you can put a piece of paper exactly where the image appears and see it on the paper, it is real; if you cannot, it is virtual.
Related terms
Virtual image
An optical representation formed by diverging light rays that cannot be projected onto a screen.
Virtual focus
The point from which diverging light rays appear to emanate after passing through a negative lens or reflecting off a convex mirror.
Image
The optical reproduction of an object formed by light rays focused by a lens or mirror.