The internet is obsessing over this real-life optical illusion that looks like an M.C. Escher drawing - here's how it works

A photo depicting a seemingly impossible construction scene has risen to the top of "the front page of the internet" - Reddit - and the optical illusion is causing many to scratch their head in bewilderment.

The photo, which was taken by Reddit user zibin, shows a pair of construction workers repairing a bridge - but the odd perspective of the photo makes it appear like a real-life version of an M.C. Escher drawing.

Here's the photo.

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Reddit/zibin

At first glance, it appears that there is no physical way that the construction lift would be able to access underside of the bridge that's facing the camera, especially when you take into account the pillar's placement in the foreground and the lift's position on the street that's in the background. (The easiest way to notice the optical illusion is to start by looking at the lift's tires, gaze upwards to the bridge's underside, and then follow that over the bridge's pillar in the foreground.)

Reddit/zibin

How it works

Luckily, another Redditor named MrDLTE3 managed to sketch out a quick drawing to explain what's really going on in the picture - it all boils down to the construction lift having a crane arm that can move horizontally (toward the photographer, here referred to as "original poster" or "OP") in addition to simply up and down.

Reddit/MrDLTE3

If that simple sketch wasn't enough concrete evidence for you, here's an example of a similar construction lift from Genie, which offers the same three-dimensional movement as the lift in the photo.

Genie

Interestingly enough, some Redditors claim the true optical illusion is actually the traffic cone that appears to float above the head of the construction worker standing on the ground - but we'll let you decide which is more impressive.