A mirage was still present at that point, but it was not so complex as a few hours before sunset: the mirage was no longer a Fata Morgana, but instead had become a simple superior mirage.įata Morgana mirages are visible to the naked eye, but in order to be able to see the detail within them, it is best to view them through binoculars, a telescope, or as is the case in the images here, through a telephoto lens. At that point in time, the air was cooler while the ocean was probably a little bit warmer, which caused the thermal inversion to be not as extreme as it was few hours before. The last two frames were photographed a few hours later, around sunset time. In the first fourteen frames, elements of the Fata Morgana mirage display alternations of compressed and stretched zones. The sequential image here shows sixteen photographic frames of a mirage of the Farallon Islands as seen from San Francisco the images were all taken on the same day. Because of the constantly changing conditions of the atmosphere, a Fata Morgana may change in various ways within just a few seconds of time, including changing to become a straightforward superior mirage. A sequence of a Fata Morgana of the Farallon Islands as seen from San Francisco The above sequence as an animation.Ī Fata Morgana may be described as a very complex superior mirage with more than three distorted erect and inverted images. Fata Morgana may be observed from any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere, from sea level up to mountaintops, and even including the view from airplanes. An observer needs to be within or below an atmospheric duct in order to be able to see a Fata Morgana. Under these conditions, the rays bend and create arcs. To generate the Fata Morgana phenomenon, the thermal inversion has to be strong enough that the curvature of the light rays within the inversion layer is stronger than the curvature of the Earth. In deserts, over oceans, and over lakes, however, a Fata Morgana may be observed on hot days.
In polar regions the Fata Morgana phenomenon is observed on relatively cold days. It may, however, be observed in almost any area. Observing a Fata Morgana Schematic diagram explaining the Fata Morgana mirageĪ Fata Morgana is most commonly seen in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice that have a uniform low temperature. While a thermal inversion often takes place without there being an atmospheric duct, an atmospheric duct cannot exist without there first being a thermal inversion. A Fata Morgana requires a duct to be present thermal inversion alone is not enough to produce this kind of mirage.
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In calm weather, a layer of significantly warmer air may rest over colder dense air, forming an atmospheric duct that acts like a refracting lens, producing a series of both inverted and erect images. The optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light bend when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed. Fata Morgana mirages also show alternating compressed and stretched zones. The mirage comprises several inverted (upside down) and erect (right-side up) images that are stacked on top of one another. It may involve almost any kind of distant object, including boats, islands, and the coastline. A Fata Morgana may be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions, or in deserts. These mirages are often seen in the Italian Strait of Messina, and were described as fairy castles in the air or false land conjured by her magic.įata Morgana mirages significantly distort the object or objects on which they are based, often such that the object is completely unrecognizable. The term Fata Morgana is the Italian translation of "Morgan the Fairy" ( Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend). The mirage consists of multiple upright and inverted images over the original object A Fata Morgana of a cargo ship seen off the coast of Oceanside, California A Fata Morgana changing the shape of a distant boatĪ Fata Morgana ( Italian: ) is a complex form of superior mirage visible in a narrow band right above the horizon. A Fata Morgana seen over the Baltic Sea, 2016.
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