Desert Mirage. A large mirage glimmers in the heat of the desert sun,casting reflections of the mountains beyond it. A mirage is an atmospheric phenomenon caused by the differential heating of layers of air. As air warms up,it expands,and this affects its refractive index. Light rays slanting down from a cool layer of air to a hot layer (such as one in contact with hot ground) will be be refracted to a shallower angle. If the angle is sufficiently shallow,the light rays are refracted so that they appear to be reflected upwards. Therefore a mirage gives an image of the sky and any scenery behind it. Photographed in the Western Desert,Egypt | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Lovegrove, Damien |
Taille de l’image : | 5183 px × 3449 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |