ABSTRACT
Sometimes overlooked in conversations about imaging is the infl uence that a human operator plays in the process and ultimately in an imaging outcome. While not a part of the tools, hardware, or software components of an imaging system, the human observer must achieve distinct vision and develop a high skill level in observation that will infl uence outcomes from start to fi nish. If an operator does not have good visual acuity, it may not be possible to make good images, ever. At certain times when an operator is fatigued, it is a chore to create effective focus, and in specifi c situations operators might see mirages or illusions. While not in the desert, mirages/illusions are the result of the human visual system forming “visual” information based on physiology or perception. These outcomes are consequences of the components of the human system including the eye, the sample, how radiated energy behaves in a specifi c environment, or interpretation of what is seen.
