- Arctic Mirage (Hillingar) | Geophysical Institute
In the arctic mirage a distant object appears right way up but higher up than the actual location Though arctic and desert mirages seem to be quite different, they share a common fundamental cause It is that light rays passing from an object through air to an observer always refract (bend) in the direction of increasing air density
- Mirages | Geophysical Institute
Even when the air is stagnant, there is enough air movement to cause the mirage images to come and go rapidly Unfortunately, the same layering that gives us glorious mirages compounds the severe air pollution problem in the Fairbanks area
- The Highest Mirage in North America | Geophysical Institute
Is the Great One a grand illusion? Is the tallest mountain in North America a mirage? A friend recently told me that the Mount McKinley we see as a huge lump on the southwest Fairbanks horizon is actually an impostor, an optical illusion that really isn't there She said that because of the curvature of the Earth, we shouldn't be able to see the mountain from Fairbanks or from Anchorage Her
- Fata Morgana | Geophysical Institute
Fata Morgana, also known as Morgan le Fay, was a fairy enchantress skilled in the art of changing shape In one traditional story she was King Arthur's sister and learned many of her skills from Merlin the Magician A special type of complex mirage, one that sometimes gives the impression of a castle half in the air and half in the sea, is named after Fata Morgana She was known to live in a
- Unusual Events in the Sky | Geophysical Institute
Fireball meteors, auroras, noctilucent clouds, mirage phenomena, atmospheric dust, city lights reflected from clouds, earthquake lights, lightning, forest fires, ice crystals and raindrops in the air, plus a host of other phenomena can create strange effects
- Tanana Valley Mirages - Geophysical Institute
The Arctic mirage is a different story altogether During inversion conditions in the Tanana Valley, there is a layer of dense, cold air next to the ground with warmer air overlying it Under these conditions light rays between two points are bent downward (convex upward), making it appear that distant objects are higher than they actually are
- The Parry Arc | Geophysical Institute
Was this a mirage, the northern lights or what? A possible explanation is the Parry arc named after the explorer, W E Parry, who first reported seeing the phenomenon while searching for a northwest passage in 1819-1820 The Parry arc is actually moonlight or sunlight deflected by passing through elongated airborne ice crystals
- The Aleutians, 1942--Revisited - Geophysical Institute
The Harrier is fairly bulky, intended primarily for ground support, and does not have the fighter potential of the sleek Mirage But it does not require long runways on which to take off or land, and can even hover like a helicopter Performance alone probably will not decide the contest between these two aircraft
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