compound eye
Fly's visual organ
A compound eye is an eye made up of many small visual units, each with its own lens, found in insects and crustaceans.
Unlike the single-lens eyes of vertebrates, compound eyes create a mosaic image from thousands of separate facets.
They excel at detecting motion but produce lower-resolution images: The fly's compound eyes tracked every movement in the room.
Plane on cut stone
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
- corneaEye's clear outer dome
- optic nerveRetina-brain neural connection
Six-legged invertebrate
- crustaceanAquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- dragonflyLarge-eyed flying predator
- flyTwo-winged buzzing insect
- beeStinging nectar gatherer
mantis · crab · shrimp · trilobite · horseshoe crab · spider · antenna · exoskeleton
Encompassing broad vistas
- omnidirectionalReceiving from all sides
- 360-degreeComplete angular revolution
- peripheral awarenessIndirect sensory registration
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
Having multiple flat surfaces
- tessellatedCovered in fitted shapes
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
- compositeMade of distinct parts
- segmentedDivided into sections
modular · lattice · geometric · dome-shaped
Identifying displacement automatically
- peripheral visionSight at edges
- polarized lightWaves oscillating in one direction
- color visionPerceiving hue differences
- low resolutionCoarse image quality
visual acuity · light sensitivity · contrast · depth perception · nocturnal · diurnal
facet
Plane on cut stone
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
- corneaEye's clear outer dome
optic nerve · hexagonal · sensory · neural · receptor
insect
Six-legged invertebrate
- crustaceanAquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- dragonflyLarge-eyed flying predator
- flyTwo-winged buzzing insect
bee · mantis · crab · shrimp · trilobite · horseshoe crab · spider · antenna · exoskeleton · invertebrate
wide-angle
Encompassing broad vistas
- omnidirectionalReceiving from all sides
- 360-degreeComplete angular revolution
- peripheral awarenessIndirect sensory registration
faceted
Having multiple flat surfaces
- tessellatedCovered in fitted shapes
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
- compositeMade of distinct parts
segmented · modular · lattice · geometric · dome-shaped
motion detection
Identifying displacement automatically
- peripheral visionSight at edges
- polarized lightWaves oscillating in one direction
- color visionPerceiving hue differences
low resolution · visual acuity · light sensitivity · contrast · depth perception · nocturnal · diurnal
- animal partsappendage, forelimb, hind leg, hind legs, hindlegs
- bug partsantennae, thorax, abdomen, head, legs
- compoundswater, ethane, propane, butane, benzene
- insect anatomyabdomen, antennae, thorax, exoskeleton, head
- fly anatomyabdomen, thorax, head, wing, leg
- invertebrate anatomyantennae, exoskeleton, gills, ganglia, nerve cord