AMAZING images of a giant ship levitating over houses in Cornwall have been explained away as an optical illusion, with a surprisingly simple answer.
The stunning photo has been identified as an example of a mirage, an optical illusion caused by hot air meeting cold water.
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The ship appears to float thanks to an illusion called a mirageCredit: Apex
The unusual scene is also known as a superior mirage.
Its name comes from the witch Morgan La Fay from the legend of King Arthur, who was said to create illusions on water to fool people.
The mythical connections don’t stop there, as the mirage is believed to be the source of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship that was said to be able to fly.
In modern times, such illusions are common in the Arctic, though rare in Britain.
Here you are more likely to see them in winter when weather conditions are good.
David Braine, a BBC meteorologist, explained the illusion by saying: “Superior mirages occur due to a weather condition known as temperature inversion, where cold air is close to the sea and warmer air is above it.”
“Because cold air is denser than warm air, it bends light into the eyes of someone standing on the ground or shoreline, changing the appearance of a distant object.”
The effect is that the sea and the sky appear the same color, giving the impression that the ships are floating.
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The meeting of cold and warm air bends the light, making it appear as if the objects are floating.
The incredible images of the mirage were captured by Lizzi Larbalestier in Perranporth, Cornwall.
Lizzie, co-founder of a marine conservation group called Ghostnetbusters, said: “I saw it off Perranporth around 10:45am on Thursday.”
“The ship has been there for a few days, perched on the horizon, but when I got home from walking my dog Goose, I did a double take because it seemed to be flying.”
“The optical illusion stayed on for at least a half hour…and as people do with most optical illusions or magic tricks, I was trying to keep track of what it was or how it worked.”
A great lover of the ocean, he kept saying that he had never seen such an illusion, even though he had spent his whole life by the sea.
“I love that every day the ocean can surprise us with strange illusions,” he concluded.
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The stunning illusion was spotted off the Cornish coast on ThursdayCredit: Apex
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The illusion is believed to be the source of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship mythCredit: Alamy
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education