Purkinje effect

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Related to Purkinje effect: Purkinje images

Purkinje effect

[pər′kin·jē i‚fekt]

(physiology)

When illumination is reduced to a low level, slowly enough to allow adaptation by the eye, the sensation produced by the longer-wave stimuli (red, orange) decreases more rapidly than that produced by shorter-wave stimuli (violet, blue). Also spelled Parkinje effect.

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Parkinje effect

References in periodicals archive ?

The inclusion of engravings from the nineteenth century adds to the historic flavor of the entries--after all, many are drawn from that rich period of psychoneurological inquiry--but the handful of entries named for Bohemian physiologist Johannes Evangelista Purkyne (Purkinje afterimage, Purkinje effect, Purkinje figure, etc.) are not significantly enriched by a drawing of Purkyne done in the early 1800s.

Blom, Jan Dirk. A Dictionary of Hallucinations

His explanation of the Purkinje effect (the tendency for red stars to grow brighter the longer you look at them) is confusing.

Changeable stars

"You should be careful not to glance too long at it lest your eyes fool you by brightening it up too much." He's talking about the Purkinje effect, whereby a reddish star's light builds up on the eye's retina as it would in a time exposure on film.