Fata Morgana is one of the rarest and most unusual optical phenomena in the atmosphere, witnessed by only a few. In this mirage, large distant objects located far beyond the horizon appear before the observer's eyes in the atmosphere. For example, the effect may look like a ship, city or any other object hovering over water or sand. It is not difficult to imagine how much such mirages frightened people in ancient times when they saw castles, ships or even enemy battle formations hovering above the ground. Of course, this phenomenon was reflected in the folklore of many peoples, but the most famous brainchild of the fata Morgana was the legend of the Flying Dutchman – a ghost ship that aimlessly sails the sea.
Rare optical illusion fata morgana. Photo source: farmersalmanac.com
Contents
- 1 what are mirages and how do they occur
- 1.1 What is an inferior mirage
- 1.2 What is a superior mirage
- 2 How is a fata morgana different from a superior mirage
- 3 Why does the fata morgana effect occur
what are mirages and how do they occur
People have observed the phenomenon of fata morgana since ancient times, and have always perceived it as something magical. It even got its name in honor of a fictional sorceress, a character from English legends – Morgana le Fay. According to legend, the sorceress lived in a crystal palace under water, which could rise above the water.
Most often, a Fata Morgana mirage is observed at sea. Photo source: indiatimes.com
Since sailors were superstitious, they believed that it was Morgan le Fay who created visions to lure them and sink ships. But in fact, the reasons for this phenomenon are more prosaic – it's all about the combination of two mirages at once – the upper and lower, which we will talk about below.
What is an inferior mirage
The inferior mirage is quite common, and you can even see it yourself if you go out on the highway and stand against the sun on a hot summer day. In this case, on the roadway, a few kilometers from you, you can see something shiny, similar to a lake. But the further you walk towards this “lake”, the further it will move.
Mirages occur due to the distortion of sunlight. Photo source: vokrugsveta.ru
This type of mirage was called “lake” or “oasis”. It was this type that in ancient times drove travelers to despair, who were languishing from heat and thirst. However, physicists simply call it “lower”.
This mirage occurs due to the deviation of the sun's rays as a result of different densities of air layers. That is, in reality, we do not see a lake, but a part of the blue sky, only below the place where it should actually be. At the same time, the characteristic shine and shimmer are caused by the heterogeneity of the warm air flows that rise from the hot surface upwards.
An inferior mirage can be seen on a hot summer day on the highway. Photo source: World History Archive via Legion Media
What is a superior mirage
Superior mirages are generally similar to inferior ones – they arise due to deviations of the sun's rays, which is also associated with the heterogeneity of air layers. This allows the observer to “look” beyond the horizon. To summarize all of the above, mirages are not an optical illusion, but images of real objects, but refracted in the atmosphere. That is, the atmosphere in this case serves as a kind of natural “periscope”.
An example of a superior mirage was described by Aristotle. The ancient Greek philosopher wrote that the inhabitants of Syracuse sometimes see the coast of continental Italy for several hours, although it is 150 km away, that is, beyond the horizon.
Fata Morgana in the Black Sea near Novorossiysk. Photo source: bloknot-novorossiysk.ru
How is a fata morgana different from a superior mirage
Fata Morgana is not just an upper mirage. The object is not only visible from behind the horizon, but also greatly magnified, as a result of which it seems much closer than it actually is. For example, on April 3, 1900, the defenders of Bloemfontein described an incident when they saw the battle formations of the British army in the sky, and so clearly that the buttons on the red uniforms of the officers could be distinguished.
But most often, sailors encounter the fata Morgana effect, who describe numerous “flying Dutchmen”. For example, an indicative case occurred on December 10, 1941, when the crew of the British ship “Vendor” in the area of the Maldives discovered a burning ship on the horizon. The captain decided to go to the aid of those in distress, but an hour later the ship fell on its side and sank.
Sometimes, due to the fata morgana effect, a whole city appears on the horizon. Photo source: faktodrom.com
At the site of the sinking, the crew of the Vendor did not find any debris or even stains of fuel oil. It was later discovered that at the same time, the cruiser Repulse, attacked by Japanese torpedo bombers near Ceylon, was burning and wrecked. However, it was located at a distance of about 900 km from the ship Vendor.
The atmosphere serves as a magnifying glass and a mirror at the same time, resulting in a fata morgana. Photo source: Russian Look
Why does the fata morgana effect occur?
According to scientists, a fata morgana occurs when a kind of “layered cake” of air layers of different densities and temperatures forms in the atmosphere. Because of this, light is refracted. In addition, tiny droplets of rarefied water contained in the air act as a magnifying glass and reflect what is beyond the horizon, but with numerous distortions. That is, conditions arise when the atmosphere serves as a mirror and a magnifying glass at the same time.
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Most often, this optical phenomenon occurs in the polar regions, where there are many icy surfaces with uniform low temperatures. But the fata morgana effect can also sometimes be seen on hot days in deserts, over oceans and lakes. Moreover, this most often happens in the morning, when steam rises from the ground, that is, the air is saturated with water droplets.