Causes of mirage, causes of mirage

Because there is a refraction of light in the atmosphere, when there is a large difference in the density of each layer in the air, the distant light will be refracted or fully reflected through the air layer with different densities, and the image of distant objects falling in the air or under the ground can be seen.

Due to the different refractive indices on the water surface, which increases sequentially from the surface upwards, the light rays are deflected as they propagate at sea level, resulting in a mirage.

Mirages are a strange phenomenon, but how many people understand how they form?

A mirage is an optical phenomenon in which the light reflected by objects on the earth passes through the atmosphere and is refracted to form a virtual image. The formation of mirage is closely related to factors such as geographical location, physical conditions, and gas phase characteristics, and has the characteristics of repeated occurrence in the same place and basically the same time each time.

Mirage is actually a natural phenomenon formed by the reflection and total reflection of light, specifically refers to the light reflected by objects on the earth after passing through the atmosphere, it will be refracted to form a virtual image, its essence is an optical phenomenon, not a real object in front of you.

The formation of mirage is also called mirage, and its formation is closely related to factors such as geographical location, physical conditions, and good characteristics of gas phase, especially the abnormal distribution of temperature is one of the main conditions for the formation of most mirages. And it is characterized by the fact that it will be repeated in the same place, and the time of each appearance is basically a laugh.

According to its type, the mirage can be divided into upper mirage, lower mirage and side mirage, and the upper mirage will replace the image that is compressed, stretched, inverted and raised, which is a kind of rapidly changing mirage. A mirage is when the mirage is below the actual object and the image is unstable. A lateral mirage, on the other hand, refers to a mirage in which the horizontal direction is different from the actual object due to the density of the atmosphere.

A mirage is an illusion formed by the refraction of distant objects, resulting from a temperature gradient formed by the sun raising the temperature of the ground. Due to the different densities, the light rays will be refracted at the boundary of the temperature gradient.

The human brain thinks that light always travels in a straight line, but when light rays pass through the cool, dense atmosphere below, they are refracted downward, so distant objects appear in the brain higher than they actually are.

The appearance of mirages is closely related to geographical location, geophysical conditions, and the meteorological characteristics of those places at a given time. It is characterized by the recurrence of suspicions in the same place and the same time of occurrence.

Key features:

Repeated occurrence in the same location, such as the mirage over Alaska in the United States; For example, most of the mirages in Penglai in China appear in the months of each year, the mirages near Zimlensk in Russia often appear in spring, and the mirages in Alaska in the United States generally appear within 20 days after June 20.

A mirage is an anomalous refraction phenomenon that results from the refraction of light rays propagating through layers of the atmosphere with different perpendicular densities. It is often divided into upper appearance, lower appearance and lateral appearance mirage.

The reason for the formation of a mirage is the refraction of light.

A mirage is an illusion formed by distant objects being refracted by hand holes, and is caused by an air gradient formed by the sun raising the temperature of the ground. Due to the different densities, light rays are refracted at the temperature gradient demarcation. Our brain thinks that light always travels in a straight line, but when light rays pass through the cool, dense atmosphere below, they are refracted downward, so distant objects appear higher in the brain than they actually are.

Mirages often occur at sea, because the air humidity and thickness of the space within a certain range of the sea are relatively large, so that the large area of water vapor in motion accidentally forms a huge lens system. When the temperature near the ground changes drastically, it will cause a huge difference in the density of the atmosphere, and the distant scenery will undergo abnormal refraction and total reflection when the light propagation, resulting in a mirage.

In addition, the occurrence of mirage is also related to the refractive index of the air layer at different altitudes, and the water vapor content is an important meteorological factor that directly affects the refractive index. At the same time, there is also a certain relationship with the sudden change of temperature and relative humidity.

Simulation of a mirage

In an unventilated room, a smooth piece of iron, 20 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide, is placed horizontally on several small pillars made of iron pipes (or wooden sticks instead), and a thin layer of sand is sprinkled on top of the iron sheet to create a desert-like surface. Cut the tree and camel out of dark paper, stick it on a piece of frosted glass (milky white glass), and place the glass plate on one end of the iron sheet, perpendicular to the iron sheet, so that the tree and the camel are exposed on top of the sand.

Behind and below the glass plate, a flashlight shines upward, and at the other end of the iron sheet, it looks as if the bright sky is set against the back of trees and camels. Then, use three small briquette stoves and place them under the iron sheet to heat them (or use a long charcoal basin, and if possible, use a long electric furnace to make potatoes and make the potato). When heating, it should be noted that the iron sheet should be heated evenly everywhere, especially near two-thirds of the end of the ground glass.

In this way, when you get close to the sand surface with your hand and feel that it is very hot after heating for a certain period of time, you start to look along the thin iron sheet towards the frosted glass. You can see the reflection of trees and camels beneath the sand, just like the reflection of trees and camels when there is water next to them. This phenomenon is called a "mirage".

In the hot summer, you can sometimes see the reflection of houses and trees on the asphalt road. This is essentially a "mirage" phenomenon.

The above content reference: Encyclopedia - Mirage.