Why we can see virtual image?

Question

Why can we see virtual images? It cannot be formed on the screen. The retina in our eye acts as a screen. If the image cannot be formed on the screen, why can we see it?

Answer 1

Virtual image is formed when the diverging rays appear to meet if they are projected backwards.

In a real image, the rays converge, so if a screen is put at the point at which the rays converge, then the image can be vied on the screen.

Our eyes have a convex lens which converges light rays. Diverging rays reaching our eye pass through the convex lens and converge on the retina, due to which an image is formed on the retina, and we can see it. This image is akin to the image which we can draw on the page by projecting the diverging rays backwards.

In both the above pictures, the diverging rays are brought to focus by the convex lens in our eyes, and thus we can see the virtual and erect image.