Three cruise ships were seen “floating” along the coastline off Cyprus, leaving many locals astonished.
Cruise ships “floating” on the sea. (Photo: Daily Mail)
The Daily Mail reported that an optical illusion was the reason behind the phenomenon of cruise ships appearing to float off the coast of Limassol, Cyprus.
A local resident named Michalis Michael captured images of the strange illusion on the morning of June 23.
This phenomenon is called Fata Morgana, which occurs when the sun heats the air over the sea and the ground, creating a temperature differential. The layer of warm air sitting above the cooler air causes light reflecting off the cruise ships to bend as it moves through the air currents.
From a distance, the three ships appear to be flying in the air.
Meteorologist David Braine explained the Fata Morgana phenomenon to the BBC: “The super illusion occurs due to a temperature inversion when warm air is above cooler air near the sea. Because the cooler air is denser than the warm air, it “bends” the light that reflects to the observer’s eyes on the shore, altering the actual distance to the object.”
