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.
Table of Contents
- How does a Mirage work?
- Versions of MIrages
- Illusions like Mirages
- Discovery of Mirages
- References and Resources
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How do Mirages work?
A mirage works due to the refraction, or bending, of light as it passes through air of different temperatures.
When light travels from a dense material, like air, to a less dense material, like hot air, it slows down and bends.
This bending of light can cause objects to appear distorted or displaced, creating the illusion of a mirage. The hot air near the ground causes light to be bent and makes objects appear to be in a different location or shape.
Version of the Mirages
The following are a few of the images of mirages:
Illusions like Mirages
Some similar illusions are below:
The Fraser spiral illusion is an optical illusion that is characterized by the appearance of a spiral pattern made up of concentric circles.
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.
The Hermann Grid Illusion in which the intersections of a white grid on a black background appear to be gray, even though they are actually the same color as the background.
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 Mirages
The phenomenon of mirages has been observed and documented by many cultures throughout history, and as such, no single person is credited with discovering them.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.