FATA MORGANA EXPLAINED

Our brains assume light rays travel in straight lines, but that’s not always the case

COOLER LAYER

The air near the ground is at a lower temperature than the air higher up.

LIGHT RAY

Light follows a curved path from an object in the warm layer to an observer in the cool layer.

WARMER LAYER

When a light ray travels between layers of air at different temperatures, it bends.

MIRAGE

The observer assumes the light from the object has travelled in a straight line, so sees it higher up.