Which of the following is a visual illusion?

A visual illusion occurs when the perception of something is different from the reality of it, often leading to misinterpretations of what is seen. Fascination, in this context, refers to the entrancing effect of sights that can mislead or trick the observer's perception, creating an illusion of depth, distance, or size that does not correspond to the actual visual information.

In aviation, such visual illusions can lead pilots to misjudge distances or altitudes, impacting their ability to make safe navigational decisions. The phenomenon can involve various visual cues that affect how objects appear, often influenced by their surroundings or lighting conditions.

The other options each relate to visual perception but do not qualify as illusions in the same way. Aerial perspective refers to the effect of atmosphere on color and detail at varying distances, retinal image size relates to how images appear on the retina in relation to distance, and solar glare involves the blinding effect of direct sunlight rather than a misperception of visual cues.