camera obscura

I thought the camera obscura was interesting. At first I didn't quite understand how it worked, and I'm still not completely sure. From what I understand it is basically a dark box of any size with a small hole punched through one side to allow light to enter. The light that enters projects the objects outside of the box on the opposite side of where the hole is punched. The object is projected upside down, like how the human eye recieves images. I learned that this the basis of how cameras were invented.
Today we were shown some of Abe's Morrel's work with the camera obscura. I thought it was fascinating how he used such a simple idea in a complex way. He used the camera obscura to project scenes of cities and sky lines on the walls of ordinary rooms like children's bedrooms and offices. I'm curious as to how he got these images to be so clear in his photographs of the rooms.
We also got to see a camera obscura in the Brant gallery. There was one set up for us to see a projection of the courtyard. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy outside and the image was difficult to see. There was also a smaller one set up with a some still life that was better lit. I found that once your eyes adjusted to the darkness, the objects were amazingly clear. I plan on going back to on a sunnier day to check out the larger one again. :)