Optical illusion

[Panope]

Twice now, I have been at sea level, looking across water and have had a visual distortion of objects on a distant (2 miles) shore. In today's incidence, a row of beach houses all appeared to have become squished together, grown in hieght by 3 or 4 times and all becoming flat roofed at the exact same height. It was as if we were looking at vertical bluff, made of house colored squares.

The illusion would come and go from one moment to the next.

100% of the illusion was above sea level. Water looked normal with small wavelets.

Air temperature was about 75F. Water temp was perhaps 50F.

My wife saw the same thing as I did (I am not crazy).

The previous instance had similar temperatures and distances. In that case, a deserted beach suddenly appeared much taller and took the appearance of a vertical bluff. I was alone for that one. I thought I was losing it.

What in the heck is this illuion called and how does it form?

Steve

[Olaf Hart]

Fata Morgana (mirage)

For some reason the wiki page won’t paste....

[Panope]

Yep, that's it.

Thanks, Olaf

[kimbottles]

My wife saw the same thing as I did (I am not crazy).

Steve

Maybe you are both crazy?

[Olaf Hart]

Folie a deux?

[Panope]

I cannot deny it!

Steve

[Rob McAlpine]

My wife saw the same thing as I did (I am not crazy).

Steve

Maybe you are both crazy?

Well played sir. Well played indeed.

[JoeP]

My wife saw the same thing as I did (I am not crazy).

Steve

Maybe you are both crazy?

Well played sir. Well played indeed.

Well, you know it is Port Townsend...

[VALIS]

We see this quite often in the San Juans and beyond. I've also seen this in the San Francisco region. Here's one I took of the North Farallon Islands:


From a little closer (and a different angle) they actually look like this:


The nearest rock in the lower photo is actually the Middle Farallon Island. It's often largely awash.

[Tim Ford]

I arrived at the Red Sea by land one day. There was a YUUUGE rocky island just offshore. Next day, same weather (sunny, high 85) the damn thing was gone.

Later that day: it was back.

No hashish was involved in this experience. None.

[SemiSalt]

<pedantic>

In a non-homogeneous medium where the speed of light varies from region to region, a light ray is bent toward a region where the speed of light is lower. Specifically, a ray of light in the atmosphere is bent toward a region of denser air. And, of course, cold air is denser than warm air.

So, when cold water cools the air near the surface, a ray that begins below the visible horizon and passes through the cold air layer can be bent to your eye and you can see over the horizon.

Conversely, on sunny day when air is heated over surface of a blacktop road, a ray from the sky can be bent up to your eye giving the appearance of water in road. This illusion is aided by our experience of the surface of the water usually appearing as a reflection of the sky.

These illusions require temperature gradient in the air near the surface, and won't appear if a turbulent wind is keeping the air well mixed.

</pedantic>

My son had a middle school teacher who explained mirages as "the photons swoop down and capture a picture of..I forget what." My son knew it was wrong and asked for a more sensible explanation.

[Tucky]

I've looked out to sea from shore in Maine and seen an upside down reflection of where I was standing. A common one her is dramatic height extensions, i.e. houses looking like skyscrapers. They come in all kinds of shapes and forms.