The Peepholes

A dragonfly's compound eye, close up and from the inside

~

They’re made up of lots and lots of tiny peepholes, all stuck together like a big puzzle.

From outside

Head detail of a male Blue Emperor (Anax imperator), Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Andalusia, Spain
Head detail of a male Blue Emperor (Anax imperator), Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Andalusia, Spain

CC BY 2.0 · gailhampshire · Wikimedia Commons · licence

From inside

A scanning electron micrograph of a dragonfly’s compound eye seen from within — the ommatidial channels.

Scanning electron micrograph of a dragonfly compound eye seen from the inside, showing the ommatidial channels
Scanning electron micrograph of a dragonfly compound eye seen from the inside, showing the ommatidial channels

CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brandon Antonio Segura Torres & Priscilla Vieto Bonilla · Wikimedia Commons · licence