Virtual Image
Definition
An image that looks like it is somewhere the light never actually goes — like your reflection behind a mirror.
Technical definition
An image formed where rays only appear to diverge from after reflection or refraction; the rays never actually pass through the image location. Virtual images are upright and cannot be projected on a screen.
Example
Your bathroom mirror shows you standing 'behind' the glass — but no light exists back there. Your brain extends the reflected rays backward in straight lines, constructing a virtual image exactly as far behind the mirror as you stand in front.
Virtual does not mean fake or useless. A magnifying glass's enlarged upright view is a virtual image, and it is perfectly real to your eye — 'virtual' only means the rays do not converge there, so no screen can catch it. Students often assume virtual images are dim or imaginary; the only test is the screen test: no projectable image means virtual image.