Fata Morgana is a type of mirage that is often seen in the polar regions.
It is named after Morgan le Fay, a sorceress from Arthurian legend.
Fata Morgana mirages create the illusion of distorted or elongated images of distant objects, such as ships or islands, often appearing to float above the horizon.
This optical phenomenon is caused by the bending of light as it passes through air layers of differing temperatures.
Table of Contents
- How does Fata Morgana work?
- Versions of Fata Morgana
- Illusions like Fata Morgana
- Discovery of Fata Morgana
- References and Resources
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How does Fata Morgana work?
Fata Morgana works through the refraction, or bending, of light as it passes through air layers of differing temperatures.
This causes the light to travel at different speeds and can result in the distorted or elongated appearance of objects.
In a Fata Morgana mirage, the light from a distant object is refracted as it passes through air layers of varying temperature that are present near the Earth’s surface.
This can cause the object to appear vertically elongated, inverted, or to have multiple reflections.
The result is an often fantastical, shifting and distorted view of the object.
Fata Morgana mirages are most commonly seen in polar regions, where temperature gradients in the atmosphere can be particularly pronounced.
They can also occur in desert regions, where hot air rises and creates similar temperature gradients.
Versions of Fata Morgana
The following are a few of the images of Fata Morgana:
Illusions like Fata Morgana
Fata Morgana is a type of superior mirage, a category of optical illusion caused by the bending of light as it passes through air layers of differing temperatures.
In a Fata Morgana mirage, the illusion is of distant objects, such as ships or islands, appearing distorted or elongated, often floating above the horizon.
The objects may also appear to be multiple or inverted. The phenomenon is named after Morgan le Fay, a sorceress from Arthurian legend, and is most commonly seen in polar regions.
Some similar illusions are below:
A mirage is a type of optical illusion caused by the bending of light in a layer of hot air, which can make distant objects appear to shimmer or float above the ground.
Chromostereopsis is an optical illusion that involves the perception of depth and three-dimensionality based on color information. It is caused by the differential refraction of light of different wavelengths, known as chromatic aberration, as it passes through a lens.
In chromostereopsis, objects that are red appear to be closer than objects that are blue. This illusion is due to the fact that red light has a longer wavelength and is bent less than blue light when it passes through a lens. As a result, red objects appear to be closer to the observer than blue objects, even when they are actually at the same distance.
The rotating snakes is a peripheral drift illusion that consists of a grid of shapes, with some of them appearing to be rotating or undulating. The illusion is created by the interaction of the shapes with the neural processing of the visual system.
The Moiré pattern illusion: This illusion is created by superimposing two similar patterns on top of each other, such as a grid of lines or circles. The resulting pattern appears to be moving or changing.
The Scintillating Grid Illusion, in which a grid of black and white squares appears to pulsate or “breathe” when viewed from the periphery of the image.
Pepper’s Ghost is an optical illusion used in theater and theme parks to create ghostly or translucent apparitions.
The illusion works by reflecting an object, usually a person, onto a transparent sheet (often made of glass or plastic) at a 45-degree angle, making it appear as if the object is floating in the air.
The transparent sheet is carefully positioned between the audience and the stage, making the reflection appear as a transparent ghost-like figure to the audience.
The Zöllner Illusion, in which parallel lines appear to be tilted or bent when intersected by diagonal lines.
The barber pole illusion is an optical illusion that is characterized by the appearance of a spiral pattern on a vertically striped pole.
The Bezold Effect: This illusion is created by placing two or more colors next to each other, and the way they appear to change when they are close to one another.
The Café Wall Illusion is a visual illusion that is created by a grid of alternating light and dark horizontal and vertical lines. The lines appear to be bent or tilted, even though they are actually straight.
Discovery of Fata Morgana
The exact discovery of the Fata Morgana mirage is not recorded in history, as it has been observed and documented by various cultures for thousands of years.
The ancient Inuit people of the Arctic, for example, had traditional tales that described the phenomenon.
The name “Fata Morgana” was given to the mirage in the 16th century, after Morgan le Fay, a sorceress from Arthurian legend. The term has since been used to describe the phenomenon in scientific and popular culture.
It is likely that the mirage was independently discovered and documented by many different cultures, as it is a relatively common occurrence in certain regions, such as the polar areas and deserts.
The phenomenon has also been studied and described by scientists, including the physicist and mathematician Ernst Mach in the 19th century.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.