Fata Morgana (mirage)

Fata Morgana (mirage)

A Fata Morgana is a complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian term named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages were fairy castles in the air or false land created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their deaths. The mirage comprises several inverted and erect images that are stacked on top of one another.

About Fata Morgana (mirage) in brief

Summary Fata Morgana (mirage)A Fata Morgana is a complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian term named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages were fairy castles in the air or false land created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their deaths. The optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light are bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion. 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. The mirage comprises several inverted and erect images that are stacked on top of one another. It may be observed from any altitude within the Earth’s atmosphere, from sea level up to mountaintops, and even including the view from airplanes. 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 mirages. FataMorgana 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. Gabriel Gruber and Tobias Gruber  were the first to study it in a laboratory setting.

Morgane, Morgain, Morgana, and other variants of Morgan Le Fay, was described as a powerful sorceress and antagonist of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in Arthurian legend. In medieval times, suggestions for the location of Avalon included the other side of the Earth, the antipodes of Sicily and other locations. After King Arthur’s final battle at Camlann, MorganLeFay takes her half-brother to Avalon, where she takes her role as a woman, an enchantress and half-ister, and enchantress to King Arthur. The figure of Morgan leFay appears to have been originally a woman rather than a human woman, rather than describing her as that of a fairy or magician, as early works of her work do not elaborate on her nature. A Fatamora is most commonly seen in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice that have a uniform low temperature. It may, however, be observed in almost any area. In deserts, over oceans, and over lakes, though, the phenomenon is observed on relatively cold days. A mirage may be seen on land or at sea, in polar region, or in deserts, but it may also be observed on hot days. An observer needs to be within or below an atmosphericduct inorder to be can to see a Fata Morga. The phenomenon is not so complex as it was a few hours before sunset: the mirage was no longer a mirage, but instead had become a simple inferior mirage.