Vacationers in the Maungani area could not believe their eyes when they saw this strange sight. This mysterious scene was captured on camera by Monica Schaffner, who was traveling in the area, when she noticed that the ship was floating in the air over the ocean.
- It was like seeing something unreal. I thought my eyes were playing a trick on me. I had to ask my husband if he sees the same thing as me.
Of course, upon closer inspection, the ship does indeed look like it is hovering in the sky, but in fact there is a common explanation for this phenomenon, and it all has to do with optics.
Known as Fata Morgana, this type of illusion can occur when a layer of warm air sits on top of a layer of colder air (known as thermal inversion), causing light to bend as it passes through them.
The resulting effect can be quite astounding and has been documented many times over the years.
While this is perhaps most commonly seen at sea, the illusion can occur on land as well - especially in deserts or in the polar regions.
At times, the object may appear larger or even upside-down in addition to floating in the air.
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