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Br J Ophthalmol 2005;89:651 doi:10.1136/bjo.2004.065664
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Are you for real?

  1. I R Schwab
  1. University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA; irschwab@ucdavis.edu

      According to Italian legend, Morgan le Fay (“Morgan the Fairy”) was half sister to King Arthur and worked her atmospheric magic with the mirage. She learned her skills from Merlin the magician. Her namesake mirage, found over the Strait of Messina, is the “Fata Morgana.” This ethereal display has commanded the fascination, and the terror, of mariners since they first plied the strait between Sicily and Italy, although the display has been seen elsewhere. But, what is this phenomenon?

      Mariners, ancient and contemporary, have understood that, when special conditions exist, a mirage may appear over a distant watery horizon, revealing features normally hidden behind the curve of the earth. Few understand why.

      When the surface of the ocean, or landmass, is colder than the air above, the surface will cool the first few metres of overlying air. Above those first few metres of colder air, the next layer of air may be significantly warmer than both the air directly overlying the surface and the surface itself. This is particularly true of …

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