Monica Shaffner walked along the beach at mount Maunganui in New Zealand and watched the surf when I saw a ship on the horizon.
But unlike ships that float on the water, this seemed to hang in the air.
So what is behind this strange optical illusion?
It’s something called a Fata Morgana (Mirage), when in calm weather a layer of warm air «spreads out» over colder dense air, creating image distortion.
And it’s not the first time for the last few weeks, when people were confused by the optical illusion.
Earlier this month on Reddit posted a picture showing a gray trash can, hovering over the sidewalk.
Photo: Reddit
Posted the photo on Twitter, one user said, «You see that a trash can to float?».
In fact, it was also an optical illusion caused by the position the dumpster on a wet spot on the concrete, which seemed to buck that hangs in the air.
Another user said:
«Things aren’t always what they seem! I love a good optical illusion. They show how our brain can mislead us».
