Scientists Capture Visible Light Speed in Groundbreaking Images

New photography technique reveals the Terrell-Penrose effect, a century-old prediction of special relativity.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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Researchers in Austria have found a way to mimic the speed of light when photographing an object, allowing them to capture the Terrell-Penrose effect - the idea that an object traveling at the speed of light will appear slightly rotated in a photograph. By using lasers and high-speed photography to 'slice' an object into micro-thin segments, the team was able to effectively slow down the speed of light to about 2 meters per second and stitch the images together into short video clips, revealing the predicted twisting effect.

Why it matters

This breakthrough in photography could help advance the study of special relativity, a fundamental theory of physics that describes the relationship between space, time, and the speed of light. Being able to visually observe the Terrell-Penrose effect provides new insights into how objects appear when traveling near the cosmic speed limit.

The details

The researchers, led by Dominik Hornof and Peter Schattschneider, used a setup with pulsed lasers to 'slice' an object into many thin segments and photograph each one after a slight delay. This allowed them to effectively slow down the speed of light to about 2 meters per second, making it possible to stitch the images together into short videos that show the predicted twisting effect. In the experiments, a cube appeared twisted while a sphere remained a sphere but with the North Pole in a different location.

  • In 2025, researchers in Austria were able to put on display an effect of special relativity that's been theorized for 100 years.
  • In 1924, physicist Anton Lampa first theorized about the photographic phenomena observed in the experiment.
  • Thirty-five years later, physicists Roger Penrose and Nelson James Terrell separately had the same further insight about how an object would appear rotated in a photograph when traveling at the speed of light.

The players

Dominik Hornof

The lead author of the study, from the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (TU Wien).

Peter Schattschneider

The senior author of the study, also from the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (TU Wien).

Anton Lampa

A physicist at the University of Vienna who first theorized about the photographic phenomena in 1924.

Roger Penrose

A physicist who separately had the same insight as Terrell about how an object would appear rotated in a photograph when traveling at the speed of light.

Nelson James Terrell

A physicist who separately had the same insight as Penrose about how an object would appear rotated in a photograph when traveling at the speed of light.

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What they’re saying

“If you wanted to take a picture of the rocket as it flew past, you would have to take into account that the light from different points took different lengths of time to reach the camera. This makes it look to us as if the cube had been rotated.”

— Peter Schattschneider (TU Wien statement)

“We combined the still images into short video clips of the ultra-fast objects. The result was exactly what we expected. A cube appears twisted, a sphere remains a sphere, but the North Pole is in a different place.”

— Peter Schattschneider (TU Wien statement)

What’s next

The team concludes that the same experimental setup—or something iterating on the same ideas—could be used to study other observations about special relativity.

The takeaway

This breakthrough in photography provides a new way to visually observe the Terrell-Penrose effect, a century-old prediction of special relativity, and could help advance the study of how objects appear when traveling near the speed of light.