# Photo Links To a Chinese Mirage. Impressive, if real. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965 "2006-05-16T12:38:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/1 "2006-05-16T12:38:04Z")
Well, well, well… [http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/811/2006/05/07/421@85556.htm](http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/811/2006/05/07/421@85556.htm) If this is not Photoshopped, it will be the finest image of an actual mirage I’ve ever seen. Opinions? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/2 "2006-05-16T12:46:54Z")
It’s consistent with other photos and sketches I’ve seen of this sort of mirage. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/3 "2006-05-16T13:04:38Z")
So, this is a reflection of the city, more or less? Reading the link, one might think we were seeing a completely different city in the mirage. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/4 "2006-05-16T13:19:16Z")
This is a _Fata Morgana_-type mirage, in which the top of the buildings seem to be raised and a thin strip across the middle gets “stretched out”. This kind of mirage can make boulders appear to be tall, thin spires, which gives naturally-occurring scenes the appearance of large and stately cities, and makes real cities seem otherwordly. Image that the scene is seen in one of those funhouse mirrors that stretch the middle of everything vertically, but leave the top and bottom pretty much unchanged. For details, see Minnaert’s book **The Nature of Light and Color in the Open Air** , or the references in Jearl D. Walker’s **The Flying Circus of Physics**. Or google “Fata Morgana”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/5 "2006-05-16T20:11:26Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] This is a _Fata Morgana_-type mirage, in which the top of the buildings seem to be raised and a thin strip across the middle gets “stretched out”. This kind of mirage can make boulders appear to be tall, thin spires, which gives naturally-occurring scenes the appearance of large and stately cities, and makes real cities seem otherwordly. Image that the scene is seen in one of those funhouse mirrors that stretch the middle of everything vertically, but leave the top and bottom pretty much unchanged. For details, see Minnaert’s book **The Nature of Light and Color in the Open Air** , or the references in Jearl D. Walker’s **The Flying Circus of Physics**. Or google “Fata Morgana”. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that the same type of illusion seen in arctic regions that create images of sort of heavenly crystal cities? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/6 "2006-05-17T00:22:03Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] If this is not Photoshopped, it will be the finest image of an actual mirage I’ve ever seen. [/QUOTE] “Actual mirage” sounds like the kind of oxymoron George Carlin might point out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/7 "2006-05-17T00:28:01Z")
[QUOTE=Mach Tuck] “Actual mirage” sounds like the kind of oxymoron George Carlin might point out. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I believe he’s just leaving off the “of what looks like the stereotype” at the end, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/8 "2006-05-17T11:45:29Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu] Isn’t that the same type of illusion seen in arctic regions that create images of sort of heavenly crystal cities? [/QUOTE] I like this one: > **[Antarctic weather phenomena](http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/AntarSky.html)** > > Pictures and explications of extraordinary Antarctic atmosphere sightings: mirages, parhely, halos, arcs, midnight sun... ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/9 "2006-05-17T20:42:36Z")
Lots more mirages here, with videos: [http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25722](http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25722) ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/10 "2006-05-17T20:59:42Z")
**Matt** , that’s a cool site. I loved the picture of the green ray, something I’ve been wanting to see for years. **Bosda** , I hate to say it, but the first picture in your link looks phony to me. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/11 "2006-05-17T21:20:10Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] Lots more mirages here, with videos: [http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25722](http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25722) [/QUOTE] Thank you for confirming my belief that all male Finns, without exception, are called “Pekka”. While it looks like there might be jpeg artefacts around the city in the first Chinese image, [this site](http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/07/content_4518919_2.htm) credits Xinhua for the photo, which is the state news service, and relatively respectable (for China). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/12 "2006-05-17T21:23:17Z")
Sorry, [China Foto Press](http://en.chinafotopress.com/), not Xinhua. Also quite respectable. (Search for “mirage” for the original.) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/13 "2006-05-18T00:21:20Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] **Matt** , that’s a cool site. I loved the picture of the green ray, something I’ve been wanting to see for years. **Bosda** , I hate to say it, but the first picture in your link looks phony to me. [/QUOTE] **Sal** , don’t be sorry, as I’m interested in input. But, why? :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-links-to-a-chinese-mirage-impressive-if-real/356965/14 "2006-05-18T07:52:25Z")
Was it clear if the mirage was of Penglai City itself? I have hear that mirages can be “transposed” from quite a distance. _Bosda_\*, that is truly spectacular. I can’t imagine what it must be like to see such detail in a mirage. I’m still boggled by regular old summer highway mirages! The arctic images were great too. And is liked the Finnish video! I have seen a green sky twice, but not a green sun.