Obscura = Latin for "dark"
Camera obscura is when light rays from an object pass through a tiny hole and flip that image upside down. Camera obscure means "darkened room". Originally it was a room that was all blacked out to keep the light out except for this one tiny hole in the wall. Through the tiny hole you could see an object that could be projected upside down or moved right or left. It then became smaller so that it could be portable (small box).
