The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name lanterna magica, is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates, usually made of glass, one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a single lens inverts an image projected through it, as in the phenomenon which inverts the image of a camera obscura, slides are inserted upside down in the magic lantern, rendering the projected image correctly oriented.
The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name lanterna magica, is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates, usually made of glass, one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a single lens inverts an image projected through it, as in the phenomenon which inverts the image of a camera obscura, slides are inserted upside down in the magic lantern, rendering the projected image correctly oriented.
Source: Wikipedia "Magic lantern" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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