Mountain WeatherHigher MiragesWhen you begin to examine mirages, it is important to understand both what a mirage is and how it forms. According to physical.org, “Mirages are natural optical illusions.” This illusion is caused by the way light is refracted in air at different temperatures. Mirages exist in two different forms. There are lower and higher mirages. Both mirages are caused by refracted light, due to pockets of warm and cold air existing above and below each other. Since cool air is denser than warm air, when light passes from cold to warm, it is refracted toward the denser air. Light rays, which usually shine directly at our eyes from the sky, are bent almost into a “U” shape. Our brain therefore perceives the false image as being either above or below where the object actually exists. This process is what creates a mirage. An image is seen where it does not actually exist (Types of mirages). To begin, we will look at the two different types of mirages. An inferior mirage is what we can call the most “classic” mirage. This is often visible as what appears to be a shimmering, water-like surface on the ground. The reason this image appears to be this way is that the sky image is observed to be reflected below the actual horizon. Mirage occurs because a layer of warm air very close to the ground is under a layer of cooler air just above it. As light rays pass through this cooler layer toward a layer of warmer air, the light rays bend due to the density of the air. The rays are refracted towards the viewer's eyes and the image of the sky is observed on the ground. The viewer's brain perceives refracted light...... middle of paper ......blog/2011/05/superior-mirage-of-kaiserstuhl-mountain-range.html>."Mirages." House of Sciences RSS. Np, and Web. March 25, 2014. “An Introduction to Mirages.” Mirages and green lightning. Np, and Web. March 25, 2014. “Glossary of Atmospheric Optics.” Glossary of atmospheric optics. Np, and Web. March 25, 2014. “Superior Mirage.” Superior Mirage. Np, and Web. March 25, 2014. “The UnMuseum – Mirages.” The UnMuseum - Mirages. Np, and Web. March 25, 2014. “Endangered Ships – The Flying Dutchman – Fata Morgana.” Disappearing Ships -The Flying Dutchman - Fata Morgana. Np, and Web. March 25. 2014. .