2024-09-30 17:19:00
Floating buildings or marine illusions?
A few days ago I received a message: “I took this photo this morning on the beach and it looked like there were some buildings in Cíes. Do you know what this phenomenon is called?”
Photography: Begoña Veríssimo
It was a Morgana girl.
In Galicia, the cold waters of the Atlantic, combined with the warmer air that often circulates over them, create the perfect environment for this type of mirage. On certain clear days and with suitable atmospheric conditions, small islands or ships have been described as appearing to rise from the sea and float above the horizon.
The Fata Morgana phenomenon has transcended cultural and linguistic boundaries, inspiring authors and poets around the world to explore themes of illusion, reality, and the deceptive nature of perception.
In 20,000 Leagues Under the SeaCaptain Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus observe mirages similar to those of the Fata Morgana. “Nothing could have been more capricious than the weather that day. The sun was scorching, the temperature of the atmosphere had risen significantly, and in the hot, dry air the horizon appeared distorted and wavy, like some kind of mirror. “They were floating images of the Nautilus, ships and land formations that had no real existence.” Nemo seeks to recover the treasure from the Battle of Rande, located in the Vigo Estuary, to finance his activities aboard the Nautilus.
Goethe makes direct reference to Fata Morgana in Faustconnecting it to the illusory nature of the world that Faust experiences. «What a strange glow in the distance! I see cities rising from the depths, shining towers, trees on the hills… but none of it is real, just an illusion. A Fata Morgana!
García Márquez’s magical realism often blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, and in this depiction (One hundred years of solitude), captures the elusive and dreamlike nature of a Fata Morgana. “The sea was calm, but the horizon shimmered with ghostly shapes, as if a long-lost city had emerged from the depths only for a moment before sinking into oblivion.”
Fata Morgana is one of nature’s most intriguing optical illusionsa, a complex form of superior mirage that distorts and deforms the appearance of distant objects. The term owes its name to the sorceress Morgana the Fairy of Arthurian legend. It is believed that he created mirages to lure sailors into danger. Scientifically, a Fata Morgana can be explained by the interaction of light rays and atmospheric conditions. Although her beauty often seems supernatural.
Timpaanen Fata Morgana on a boat.
In calm weather, the smooth difference between warm air and cold (denser) air near the Earth’s surface can act like a refracting lens, creating an inverted image, above which the distant image appears to float. The effects of Fata Morgana are usually visible in the morning, after a cold night.
Under normal conditions, the air closer to the ground is warmer and the light rays bend downward slightly as they travel through the cooler air above. However, when a temperature inversion occurs (cold air under warmer air), the light rays bend upward. This refraction can create distorted, inverted, and elongated images of objects that are well beyond the horizon, making them appear to have impossible shapes or be at unattainable distances.
A Fata Morgana often spawns several layers of mirages stacked on top of each other. When light rays pass through different layers of air, images can become distorted, upside down, elongated, or compressed, creating the eerie, stretched, or shortened appearance often associated with this optical illusion.
Fata Morgana is a particularly complex mirage. The most complex form of superior mirage. It includes not only lifting, but also stretching, squeezing and rotating objects. It requires a specific, layered temperature inversion, making it much rarer and more spectacular.
Many experts today believe that the ship of the flying dutchman It could be a Fata Morgana. This mirage can make distant ships appear to float far above the water. Some link the Fata Morgana to the sinking of the Titanic. On cold, clear nights, like the night of the disaster, Fata Morgana can distort the visibility of the horizon and icebergs. This may have affected the perception of the Titanic’s lookouts, complicating distance estimation. Some contemporary accounts mention visions of strange lights or distorted shapes on the horizon.
When the exploration of the seas began, cartographers, desperate to fill the gaps in their maps (discovery paid off and also brought honor and glory), included islands or lands that did not exist. These “ghost islands” They are born from misunderstandings or optical illusions like the Fata Morgana. Many remained on maps for centuries before being removed.
Hy-Brazil It appeared on 14th century maps, off the west coast of Ireland. He was only seen once every seven years. Some have said that the visitors gained immortality. It rose from the ocean, disappearing as they approached. They were probably Fata Morgana monsters.
In the 19th century, Arctic explorers, the Franklin Expedition (1845) and the Russian Yakov Sannikov in 1810, encountered the phenomenon of the Fata Morgana. These illusions made ice formations or fog banks appear to be solid ground. Now it is believed Sannikov Landa ghost island sought after by multiple expeditions, it was an optical illusion.
Him Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily he is famous for his Fata Morgana illusions, which create visions of cities or floating ships. In the Middle Ages, sailors believed that these were tricks of evil spirits or spells of Morgan le Fay, giving rise to legends and myths about the region.
On the contrary the Bouvet Island (which was thought to be imaginary) is real. It is located in the South Atlantic, was discovered in 1739 and remained “lost” for almost 80 years. It took almost two centuries before a Norwegian expedition located it and obviously claimed it. The island has been considered a myth for many years, due to constant erroneous sightings caused by mirages.
Using satellite imagery and GPS, we have eliminated ghost islands. Fata Morgana, should no longer deceive modern sailors. Some mirages continue to surprise those who witness them. Him Arrecife Montgomery (Australia) emerges from the ocean at low tide, temporarily transforming into a visible island before disappearing underwater.
Fata Morgana surprises with its ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, challenging our perception of reality. Sometimes the beauty and mystery of nature can be as fascinating as any fairy tale.
#magic #Fata #Morgana #phenomenon