Optical Phenomena: Mirages

Optical Phenomena: Mirages

A mirage is a natural optical illusion caused by the bending of light. It often appears on hot days, especially on roads or in deserts. This happens because of how light behaves when it passes through layers of air at different temperatures.

Light usually travels...

On a hot day, have you ever seen a shimmering patch in the distance that looks like water, even though no water is really there?

That’s a mirage—an optical illusion caused by the bending of light.

Here’s how it works. On very hot days, the Sun heats the ground, and the ground heats the air just above it.

The air near the surfa...