Fata Morgana - An illusion your eyes can’t believe

On All Fools Day you were likely the subject of a joke. Hope you took it well. No prank, however, matches up to the tricks Mother Nature has up her sleeve. One of her most bizarre sleights of hand involves faraway objects, warm air and light. Yes, we’re talking of mirages.

Yari Piras was standing on a beach in Cagliari, Italy, when he spotted an unusual sight. A boat appeared to be sailing quite a distance away from him but its appearance was warped.

Watch this video and be pleasantly fooled.

You’re doubtless familiar with these intriguing illusions. Driving on a road on a hot day, you have seen the horizon shimmer with water. And we’ve all heard stories of marooned desert travelers attracted to visions of oases only to find nothing but more scorching sand.

Those are inferior mirages. There are superior mirages. The terms don’t mean that one is better than the other; they refer to the complexity of the phenomena.

First, let’s demystify mirages. Mirages, quite simply, are optical illusions caused when alternating layers of hot and cold air cause light rays to be ‘bent’ to produce displaced images of distant objects. When the object in question is below the illusion, it is called an inferior mirage; when the air below the line of sight is colder than the air above it, a superior mirage is produced. Superior mirages, which form above the horizon, are often seen in the polar regions.

Consider the Fata Morgana - a mirage so bizarre it was thought to be a work of sorcery. It is a mirage that can be seen right above the horizon, causing objects to appear distorted and other-worldly.

Fata Morgana is the Italian name for Morgan le Fay, half-sister of King Arthur and a sorceress with the power to change shape at will. Legend holds that she lived in a crystal palace below the sea that sometimes rose above the surface. She is believed to lure sailors to their death.

In the case of a Fata Morgana, objects that are lower than the horizon are refracted to appear above it, or floating above it. One of the most common images perceived was of castles in the air, which led to the phrase we use so often. Fata Morgana mirages are finely detailed and one of the most spectacular examples was of the the Flying Dutchman, a ‘ghost ship’ that appeared to sail the seas for eternity.

Sorry for the spoiler. It’s just a trick of the light.

Have you ever photographed a mirage? Share your shots with us on Flickr with the tag yindiatravel-mirage. We will feature the best photos in a slideshow with links back to your photostream and profile.