virtual image

An image formed by back-tracing diverging rays projected by a lens, it is not real and cannot be detected using a detector in the plane of the virtual image. It usually arises due to the object (or image thereof) being located less than one focal length away from the lens. Virtual images and images at infinity can be perceived by the human eye since it contains a lens that converge the rays.

Related MicroscopyU Article

Microscope Conjugate Field Planes

The geometrical relationship between image planes in the optical microscope is explored in this tutorial. In all of the imaging steps, with the exception of Image Plane (3'), the image is real and inverted.