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📘 How a mirage bends a horizon

Understand temperature gradients, refraction, inversions, shimmering roads, and displaced images.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

Refractive index
Hot road
Inferior image
Superior image
Inversion
Geometry
Shimmer
Astronomical refraction
Observation
Reality check

Questions this course answers

What causes a mirage?

Temperature gradients change air's refractive index and bend light.

Why does a hot road often show a false puddle?

An inferior mirage redirects sky light toward the observer.

What is a superior mirage associated with?

An inversion can bend images upward over cold water or ice.

Why can multiple images appear?

Layered gradients can create multiple apparent paths.

Why do road mirages shimmer?

Rapidly changing temperature pockets make the image fluctuate.

Grounded in trusted sources

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