Concept in Definition ABC

Sometimes we observe images that we believe to be true, but in reality it is about incorrect interpretations of our brain. We are used to light propagating in a straight line and in order for us to capture an image, the following must be met scheme:

1) a source emits light, 2) the light bounces off the observed object, and 3) the information obtained after steps 1 and 2 ends up on the retina of the human eye.

Depending on the inclination of the light beam, the brain interprets that an object is in one position or another. If the light rays do not go in a straight line, the brain does not interpret it that way and ends up perceiving things that do not exist. When this occurs, a mirage takes place. Among the most common mirages we can highlight the following: oasis in the desertpuddles of Water at the end of a road or even boats at sea.

The phenomenon of refraction of light

This type of false visual information occurs because the sun's rays sometimes bend. Thus, when light passes from one medium to another, its angle and its

velocity they are modified by the action of the refraction of light. On days of intense heat, the soil is at high temperatures, which causes the heating of the layer of air which is at the top. In this way, the air has a lower density and when a ray of light passes through it, it produces a deformation of the refraction of light that eventually distorts the information captured by the brain. On synthesis, the properties of light are what trigger mirages.

The Fata Morgana effect

Imagine that we are walking quietly near the sea and on the horizon we see the image of a floating city or a ship in the sky. It is very likely that before this type of images we think that we are having an episode of madness. If something like this happens to us, we are facing one of the most curious mirages, a Fata Morgana.

This phenomenon receives its name from a character related to the legend of King Arthur. It is said that Fata Morgana was the stepsister of the same king and that she had extraordinary powers that she had learned from the magician Merlin.

This strange mirage has a scientific explanation: light rays bend as they pass through layers of air at different temperatures. This causes objects beyond the horizon to be projected onto the sky in an inverted image.

In a figurative sense

To the margin Of the luminous phenomena that create unreal images, in everyday life we ​​speak of a mirage to refer to a false illusion. If someone firmly believes that the signing of a soccer player is going to change the trajectory of a team and then there is no change, their conviction initial was actually a mirage.

Photo: Fotolia - cristina_conti

Themes in Mirage