What is a Fata Morgana?

Correct answer: An optical illusion

Try the best trivia game

What people think about it: 19 Comments
Skip2bSquare
Skip2bSquare
I've seen this on the horizon numerous times this last summer. Boats and ships split into layers and float in the sky, amazing to see. I live right on the beach of the English Channel and low level features along the south- curving coastline morph into a crazy huge metropolis-type skyline. Awesome.
kotogoddess1957
kotogoddess1957
The Lost Apothecary, yes indeed aka refraction. There is also a theory that the Titanic's collision was due to this as well as the failure of a nearby ship to identify the doomed vessel.
UnderwaterAlly15205
UnderwaterAlly15205
I think I saw this once while travelling cross country on Amtrak. It was beautiful and thoroughly confusing to see mountains seemingly upside down in the early morning light.
Traci
Traci
Said the acid popping Italian 🤪
Indigo Shade
Indigo Shade
I grew up 800km from the nearest coast and I've see oil tankers sitting above our dam thanks to a mirage.
The Lost Apothecary
The Lost Apothecary
Interesting. Could this also be an explanation for mirages?
Lea57
Lea57
Player #38618593, I'll have to revisit Duchamp's bio. If I remember correctly, he took heavy doses of stimulants to induce sleep deprivation. But it's easy to conclude that Cubist inspiration was sparked by witnessing this phenomenon.
GraceSpace
GraceSpace
Skip2bSquare, Stunning!
TOBY
TOBY
Skip2bSquare, just realised I've seen this but just thought my eyes were playing up lowl and it IS awesome.
Gioconda
Gioconda
Skip2bSquare, How very interesting!
Player #38618593
Player #38618593
I wonder if Marcel Duchamp saw one before he started painting?
Vladan
Vladan
Sonia, nope.girl in Romanian is fată.fata is face.
Vladan
Vladan
its not fata morgana like some morgana from the family fata lol its fatamorgana,one word.
Player #33243729
Player #33243729
this question is easy if you know german
Player #31658544
Player #31658544
Wow, today I learned!
ThrillingRevival6
ThrillingRevival6
SQinfoNUTS, don't like them here as they mean colder weather.
Birdiemom
Birdiemom
SQinfoNUTS, sun dogs are nothing like a fata morgana
Sonia
Sonia
the name is written here in Romanian which means 'Morgana girl', fata=girl, Morgana =Morgana
SQinfoNUTS
SQinfoNUTS
I saw one of these one-time in Southeastern Pennsylvania. also known as Sun dogs. It looked like very small rainbows on either side of the sun. Lucky me.