moiré effect

noun

, Optics.

1. the appearance, when two regularly spaced sets of lines are superimposed, of a new set of lines moiré pattern passing through the points where the original lines cross at small angles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of moiré effect¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

The exposed black and white paint layers create a flickering moiré effect in some works, a grayish glowing aura in others, she explained.

From New York Times

The Fold 3 sports a 10MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 on the cover, along with a 4MP under-display camera on the interior, which is equal parts terrible and distracting given the distinct moire effect the experimental feature creates at certain viewing angles.

From The Verge

If I shift my head or the phone even a little, there’s a moire effect that instantly draws my eye — even after a week of use it’s still happening.

From The Verge

Ms. Cherry builds in Fauvist, mesmeric bands of color so that, depending on where a viewer stands, the fields of a painting, like “69 Syntax City,” dance like rippling silk, aping a photographic moiré effect that interrupts the image.

From New York Times

It’s not clear if the illusion is intentional as it's never mentioned in the synopsis of work — if not, the moiré effect resembling sound waves traveling along a span of catgut is a very happy accident, indeed.

From The Verge