Mirrors in the air: mirages in nature and in the laboratory
Abstract
Although mostly not perceived consciously, mirages are very familiar phenomena of everyday life. They can generally occur if light is incident on media with a gradient of refractive index. This article starts with the easiest mirage effect, known as astronomical refraction, then presents examples for inferior and superior multiple image mirages, and finally focuses on demonstration experiments for the classroom.
- Publication:
-
Physics Education
- Pub Date:
- March 2009
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0031-9120/44/2/008
- Bibcode:
- 2009PhyEd..44..165V