Fata Morgana (mirage) facts for kids
Imagine seeing a ship floating upside down in the sky, or an island that looks like a tall, wavy castle! This amazing sight is called a Fata Morgana. It's a special kind of mirage that appears just above the horizon. The name Fata Morgana comes from Italian and means "Morgan the Fairy." People in the past thought these magical-looking scenes, often seen in the Strait of Messina in Italy, were created by a powerful sorceress named Morgan le Fay.
A Fata Morgana makes distant objects look very strange. It can twist and stretch things so much that you might not even recognize them! You can see these mirages almost anywhere: at sea, on land, in cold polar regions, or hot deserts. They can make boats, islands, or coastlines appear in unusual ways. What's really cool is that a Fata Morgana often changes quickly. It can show several images of the same object, some right-side up and some upside down, stacked on top of each other. Parts of the image might look squashed, while others look stretched out.
This incredible optical phenomenon happens because light rays bend when they travel through layers of air with different temperatures. Usually, air gets colder as you go higher. But sometimes, especially on calm days, a layer of warm air sits on top of colder, denser air. This creates a "thermal inversion." When this inversion is strong enough, it forms an "atmospheric duct." Think of this duct like a giant lens in the sky. It bends the light in such a way that it creates those multiple, distorted images you see in a Fata Morgana. For a Fata Morgana to appear, this special atmospheric duct must be present.
Contents
- How to Spot a Fata Morgana
- The Story Behind the Name
- Famous Sightings and Legends
- Fata Morgana in Stories and Books
- Learn More About Mirages
How to Spot a Fata Morgana
You might think Fata Morganas only happen in special places, but they can be seen almost anywhere! They are quite common in polar regions, where they are sometimes called an iceblink. This happens especially over large, flat sheets of ice. In cold places, you'll see them on chilly days. But in deserts, over oceans, or on big lakes, you might spot a Fata Morgana on a hot day.
For a Fata Morgana to appear, the warm air layer above the cold air must be very strong. This makes the light rays bend even more than the curve of the Earth itself. When this happens, the light rays create amazing arcs in the sky. You need to be in the right spot, either inside or below this special "atmospheric duct," to see the mirage. People have seen Fata Morganas from sea level, from mountaintops, and even from airplanes!
A Fata Morgana is a very complex mirage. It often shows more than three distorted images, some upright and some upside down. Because the air is always moving and changing, a Fata Morgana can transform in just a few seconds. It might even turn into a simpler mirage. The pictures of the Farallon Islands show how much a Fata Morgana can change. These photos were all taken on the same day. You can see how parts of the mirage look squashed or stretched. Later in the day, as the sun set, the air cooled, and the mirage became simpler, no longer a Fata Morgana.
While you can see Fata Morganas with your bare eyes, using binoculars or a telescope helps you see all the amazing details. Early scientists like Gabriel Gruber and Tobias Gruber studied these mirages in the late 1700s.
The Story Behind the Name
The name "Fata Morgana" comes from Italian and means "Morgan the Fairy." This refers to Morgan le Fay, a powerful sorceress from the legends of King Arthur. In these old stories, Morgan was often seen as a magical fairy or magician. Later tales described her as King Arthur's half-sister and a skilled enchantress.
After King Arthur's final battle, Morgan was said to take him to a magical island called Avalon. People in medieval times thought Avalon might be in places like Sicily or other parts of the Mediterranean. Legends also linked Morgan to Mount Etna in Sicily and to sirens—mythical creatures who lured sailors.
Because of these stories, the Fata Morgana mirage became connected with Sicily in Italian folklore. People believed Morgan used her magic to create these "fairy castles in the air" or false lands. Writers like Walter Charleton in 1654 and Athanasius Kircher described these amazing mirages in their books. The term Fata Morgana first appeared in English in 1818, referring to the mirages seen in the Strait of Messina.
Famous Sightings and Legends
The Mystery of the Flying Dutchman
Have you heard of the Flying Dutchman? This famous folklore legend tells of a ghost ship that can never return home. It is said to sail the seven seas forever. Sailors often reported seeing the Flying Dutchman from far away, sometimes glowing with an eerie light. Many people believe that these sightings were actually Fata Morgana mirages at sea.
A Fata Morgana can make a ship look very different. Even if it doesn't seem to float in the air, it can look ghostly and strange. The appearance of the ship in the mirage changes constantly. Sometimes, a Fata Morgana makes a ship look like it's floating inside the waves. Other times, you might see an upside-down ship sailing above the real one!
It can be tricky to tell what's real and what's a mirage. If a real ship is too far away to be seen over the horizon, a Fata Morgana can lift its image into view. In this case, everything you see is a mirage. If the real ship is still visible, a Fata Morgana can make many copies of it and twist them into wild shapes.
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See how two ships change their appearance because of a Fata Morgana.
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In this mirage, at least three separate images of a boat are visible.
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This image shows how a ship's mirage can change from one moment to the next.
Discovering "Phantom Islands"
In the 1800s and early 1900s, many explorers thought they discovered new lands in the Arctic and Antarctic. Later, these "phantom islands" turned out not to exist! Fata Morgana mirages likely tricked these explorers. Sometimes, icebergs or uneven ice surfaces could also add to the illusion of distant land.
The Mystery of Sannikov Land
In 1809–1810, explorers Yakov Sannikov and Matvei Gedenschtrom reported seeing a land mass north of Kotelny Island. Sannikov announced this "new land" in 1811, and it was named after him. Later, in 1886, Baron Eduard Toll also claimed to see Sannikov Land. He even led an expedition in 1900 to find and explore it, but they were unsuccessful. Toll and three others were lost during this journey. In 1937, another expedition also failed to find Sannikov Land. Many experts now believe that what Sannikov and Toll saw were actually Fata Morganas of Bennett Island.
The Croker Mountains That Vanished
In 1818, Sir John Ross led an expedition to find the Northwest Passage. In Lancaster Sound, Canada, he saw what looked like mountains in the distance. He named them the Croker Mountains. Ross then decided to turn back, believing the passage was blocked. His officers, including William Edward Parry, disagreed, but Ross would not listen.
Ross's decision caused a big argument and hurt his reputation. The next year, Parry led his own expedition. He sailed right through where Ross had seen the mountains, proving they were just a mirage. Ross made a mistake by not trusting his experienced officers. This incident made it hard for him to get funding for future trips.
New South Greenland: A Mirage?
In 1823, Benjamin Morrell claimed to have explored the east coast of "New South Greenland" in the Antarctic. Another explorer, Robert Johnson, had named the west coast of this land two years earlier. Today, this area is known as Graham Land. Morrell's reported position was far from Graham Land. People searched for New South Greenland into the early 1900s, but it was never found. It's possible Morrell saw a Fata Morgana and thought it was real land.
The Crocker Land Expedition
Robert Peary claimed to have seen, in 1906, a land mass in the Arctic, about 130 miles (209 km) away. He named it Crocker Land. However, Peary's own diary suggests he might have made up Crocker Land to get more money for his expeditions.
In 1913, Donald Baxter MacMillan led an expedition to find Crocker Land, not knowing it might be a trick. On April 21, they saw what appeared to be a huge island with "Hills, valleys, snow-capped peaks." Piugaattoq, an Inuk hunter with lots of experience, told them it was an illusion, calling it poo-jok (mist). But MacMillan insisted they continue.
For five days, they followed the mirage over dangerous sea ice. Finally, on April 27, after traveling about 125 miles (201 km), MacMillan had to agree with Piugaattoq. The "land" that they had sighted was in fact a mirage, probably a Fata Morgana. MacMillan later wrote that the day was clear, and the mirage looked so real they would have "staked our lives upon its reality." He concluded it was a "mirage or loom of the sea ice." This expedition was very expensive and ended up being a costly mistake.
Hy Brasil: The Invisible Island
Hy Brasil is a legendary island from Irish folklore. It was said to appear only once every few years off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. Old maps even showed Hy Brasil as a perfect circle with a river through it. Perhaps this mythical island was also inspired by Fata Morgana mirages!
Fata Morgana Over Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is famous for its mirages. Sometimes, you can clearly see the opposite shorelines, even when they are usually too far away.
In July 1866, people in Kingston, Ontario, saw mirages of boats and islands. One report described an island looking "unaturally distorted and thrown upward in columnar shape." A ship appeared double, with one image upside down. Another ship, whose hull was normally hidden below the horizon, had its hull appear as a shadow. These amazing sights often needed a telescope to be seen clearly, as the closest ship was 16 miles (26 km) away. The "cloud" mentioned in the report was likely the atmospheric duct causing the mirage.
On August 16, 1894, thousands of people in Buffalo, New York, witnessed a "remarkable mirage." They saw the city of Toronto, 56 miles (90 km) away, with its harbor and island. Church spires were easily counted! The mirage showed the entire width of Lake Ontario, including parts of Rochester. Steamers and a sailboat were also visible. This mirage slowly faded away as clouds appeared. People said the mirage showed Toronto perfectly, without distortion, as if it were a landscape floating in the sky. This type of mirage, where objects appear higher but not inverted, is called looming.
Antarctic Mirages
From McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Fata Morganas are a common sight during the Antarctic spring and summer. They often appear across McMurdo Sound. Rear Admiral Frederick E. Bakutis once described seeing an Antarctic Fata Morgana from a C-47 transport plane:
He said, "We were going along smoothly and all of a sudden a mountain peak seemed to rise up out of nowhere up ahead. We looked again and it was gone. A couple of minutes later it popped up again rising some 300 feet higher than our altitude. We never seemed to get any closer to it. The peak just kept popping up and down, getting higher and higher and higher every time it reappeared." This shows how quickly and dramatically a Fata Morgana can change!
Could Fata Morganas Explain UFOs?
Sometimes, Fata Morgana mirages might trick people into thinking they see otherworldly objects, like UFOs. A Fata Morgana can make an object that is actually below the horizon appear to float in the sky. It can also stretch an object vertically, making it look completely unfamiliar.
Even some UFOs seen on radar might be caused by Fata Morgana mirages. French UFO investigations have suggested this. They explain that the atmospheric ducting that causes Fata Morganas can also affect radio waves, creating "radar mirages." These radar mirages are actually more common than optical ones because water vapor, which causes them, doesn't get blocked by clouds like visible light does. So, what looks like a strange object on radar could just be a trick of the atmosphere!
The Mysterious Min Min Light
Fata Morgana mirages might even explain the famous Australian Min Min light phenomenon. This mysterious light has been reported in the Australian Outback for many years. Early stories described it as a still light, which could be a Fata Morgana image of a distant campfire. More recent reports describe moving lights. This could be Fata Morgana reflecting headlights from vehicles far over the horizon.
Fata Morgana Land in the Arctic
Fata Morgana Land was another phantom island in the Arctic. It was first reported in 1907. After explorers searched for it without success, they realized it was likely a mirage, similar to Tobias Island.
Fata Morgana in Stories and Books
A Fata Morgana often appears in stories as something mysterious or impossible to reach.
The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem called Fata Morgana in 1873. In it, he describes a "weary traveler" who sees "Blue lakes, overhung with trees" and "Fair towns with turrets high." However, these descriptions sound more like a common desert mirage, not a Fata Morgana. Real Fata Morganas are usually seen as a narrow band of distorted images right above the horizon.
The 18th-century poet Christoph Martin Wieland also wrote about "Fata Morgana's castles in the air." This idea of magical castles in the sky was so captivating that many languages still use "Fata Morgana" to describe any kind of mirage.
In the book Thunder Below!, a submarine crew sees an "arctic mirage" of four ships stuck in the ice. This was a Fata Morgana that disappeared as they got closer.
The famous horror writer H. P. Lovecraft mentioned Fata Morganas in his 1936 novel At the Mountains of Madness. The narrator describes "curious atmospheric effects" and a "strikingly vivid mirage" where distant icebergs looked like "battlements of unimaginable cosmic castles."
William Golding also described a Fata Morgana in his 1954 novel Lord of the Flies:
Strange things happened at midday. The glittering sea rose up, moved apart in planes of blatant impossibility; the coral reef and the few stunted palms that clung to the more elevated parts would float up into the sky, would quiver, be plucked apart, run like raindrops on a wire or be repeated as in an odd succession of mirrors. Sometimes land loomed where there was no land and flicked out like a bubble as the children watched. Piggy discounted all this learnedly as a “mirage”...
Learn More About Mirages
- Atmospheric optics
- Brocken spectre
- Green flash
- Looming and similar refraction phenomena
- Mirage of astronomical objects
