What are Mirages?
You might have seen in movies, that a pond or lake is perceived by the characters in the middle of a desert, but when they actually reach the place, there's no water but just sand! Maybe, in your childhood you might have wondered what kind of magic it is! But let me guarantee you, it is just one of the wonders of nature or more specifically I think I should say, obviously - Science!
I'm not telling you how mirages are formed, just yet!
Answer the below quiz, and find out all about Mirages!
Wait a second, have you ever seen a mirage in real life? Let me know about it in the comments section below! And, do also comment on how you feel about this new way I'm starting for the trivia questions! And also, comment your views about mirages...
Answers:
1. Mirages are formed due to refraction of light.
Normally, light waves from the sun travel straight through the atmosphere to your eye. But, light travels at different speeds through hot air and cold air.
Mirages happen when the ground is very hot and the air is cool. The hot ground warms a layer of air just above the ground. When the light moves through the cold air and into the layer of hot air it is refracted (bent).
A layer of very warm air near the ground refracts the light from the sky nearly into a U-shaped bend. Our brain thinks the light has traveled in a straight line.
Our brain doesn’t see the image as bent light from the sky. Instead, our brain thinks the light must have come from something on the ground.
Because of this, we follow the light back to the source, which appears to be the ground. Combining all of this together, refracted light from the sky is interpreted as straight, letting us see an image of the sky on the ground.
Mirages happen when the ground is very hot and the air is cool. The hot ground warms a layer of air just above the ground. When the light moves through the cold air and into the layer of hot air it is refracted (bent).
A layer of very warm air near the ground refracts the light from the sky nearly into a U-shaped bend. Our brain thinks the light has traveled in a straight line.
Our brain doesn’t see the image as bent light from the sky. Instead, our brain thinks the light must have come from something on the ground.
Because of this, we follow the light back to the source, which appears to be the ground. Combining all of this together, refracted light from the sky is interpreted as straight, letting us see an image of the sky on the ground.
This is why many mirages appear as blue water. We think we have stumbled on an oasis when in reality we are seeing a shimmering image of the blue sky. Since our brains don’t recognize the sky as being on the ground, we imagine the image to be shining blue water.
2. Can a mirage be photographed?
-Yes
First thing to know is that mirages are not hallucinations, or inventions of our brain; it is just a misinterpretation of reality. Proof of this is that, unlike ghosts, pink elephants or sasquatchs, mirages can be photographed and even searched. The key is how light travels and how the heat affects the air molecules.
In contrast to a hallucination, a mirage is a real optical phenomenon that can be captured on camera, since light rays are actually refracted to form the false image at the observer's location.
In contrast to a hallucination, a mirage is a real optical phenomenon that can be captured on camera, since light rays are actually refracted to form the false image at the observer's location.
3. Are mirages seen only in deserts?
-No
There’s no need to trek to the desert to see a mirage: they are very common on roadways, airport tarmacs and even on the hot sand at the beach. Mirages can be spotted anywhere where the ground can absorb a lot of heat.
Here is an image👇 of a mirage viewed on a road...
Hi there! I hope you like viewing my posts and understood the science behind mirages!
'A man who questions the existence of the phenomena around turns out to justify his own existence!'
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