BRITS have been left all at sea after multiple sightings of spooky “floating ships” prowling our waters.
A rare optical illusion is to blame for the bizarre appearances – which have already stretched the length of the country.
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This ‘floating tanker’ was spotted off the coast of Banff, AberdeenshireCredit: Deadline News
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Cruise ships were seen ‘hovering’ above the waters near Paignton, DevonCredit: Apex News
The latest sighting was made by David Morris as he walked along the Cornish coastline near Falmouth.
He was left “extremely baffled” when he spotted a large vessel apparently floating just above the waves.
Days earlier, several cruise ships were also seen “hovering” above the waters off the coast of Paignton, Devon
Then Colin McCallum spotted a large red “floating vessel” on the horizon as he travelled through Banff, Aberdeenshire.
He said: “When I first saw the boat, I had to do a double take because I genuinely thought it was floating.
“Upon further inspection, however, I noticed that it was in fact just a remarkable optical illusion.”
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The latest sighting was made by David Morris as he walked near FalmouthCredit: Apex News
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Some believe the phenomenon may even be the source of the legend of the Flying DutchmanCredit: Alamy
The phenomenon – known as Fata Morgana – is created when the sun heats up the atmosphere above either the land or the sea.
A layer of warmer air sits on top of a layer of cold air, causing the light from the ship to bend and making colours blend together.
For a Fata Morgana to appear, the atmospheric conditions have to be just right, reports the Mail Online.
It starts with a cold air mass close to the ground or surface of the water that is topped by a warm layer of air higher in the atmosphere.
Although the phenomenon can occur on land, they are more common at sea because water helps to form the cool air layer required.
Speaking of the Cornwall sighting, a Met Office spokesman said: “The images appear to show evidence of a phenomenon called Fata Morgana.
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For a Fata Morgana to appear, the atmospheric conditions have to be just right
“A rare and complex form of mirage in which horizontal and vertical distortion, inversion and elevation of objects occur in changing patterns.
“The phenomenon occurs over a water surface and is produced by the superposition of several layers of air of different refractive index.”
BBC meteorologist David Braine said the phenomenon is caused conditions in the atmosphere which bend light.
“Superior mirages occur because of the weather condition known as a temperature inversion, where cold air lies close to the sea with warmer air above it,” he said.
“Since cold air is denser than warm air, it bends light towards the eyes of someone standing on the ground or on the coast, changing how a distant object appears.”
The mirage takes its name from Morgan le Fay – a sorceress from Arthurian legend – said to use her witchcraft to lure unwitting sailors into her traps.
The mirage is thought to be the reason for sightings of the Flying Dutchman, a 17th century “ghost ship” doomed to sail the seas forever.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education