An amazing photograph of a superior mirage.
David Morris 'stunned' to see ship hovering high above sea off Cornwall
There are only so many polite words that come to mind when one spots a ship apparently hovering above the ocean during a stroll along the English coastline.
David Morris, who captured the extraordinary sight on camera, declared himself “stunned” when he noticed a giant tanker evidently floating above the water as he looked out to sea from a hamlet near Falmouth in Cornwall.
The effect is an example of an optical illusion known as a superior mirage. Such illusions are reasonably common in the Arctic but can also happen in UK winters when the atmospheric conditions are right, though they are very rare.
The illusion is caused by a meteorological phenomenon called a temperature inversion. Normally, the air temperature drops with increasing altitude, making mountaintops colder than the foothills. But in a temperature inversion, warm air sits on top of a band of colder air, playing havoc with our visual perception. The inversion in Cornwall was caused by chilly air lying over the relatively cold sea with warmer air above.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/05/ship-hovering-above-sea-cornwall-optical-illusion#img-1
= new reply since forum marked as read
... the tanker had helium in the holds for delivery to some distant shore. The tanker then became a dirigible/blimp/zeppelin.
If you look close,... you can see the string keeping it tethered to the ground.
‘Superior mirage’ illusion resurfaces in Dorset a fortnight after similar pictures taken near Falmouth
Haroon Siddique and Ian Sample
Thu 18 Mar 2021 11.56 EDT
The cruise ship Anthem of the Seas appears to hover in mid-air on Wednesday evening close to Bournemouth Pier. Photograph: Triangle News/Ryan Rushforth
Haroon Siddique and Ian Sample
Thu 18 Mar 2021 11.56 EDT
If the sight of a ship apparently hovering above the sea is a very rare event in the UK, then two in a fortnight must be an even more unlikely occurrence.
But 13 days after a giant tanker was pictured floating above the water off Cornwall, the effect of an optical illusion known as a superior mirage, similar images emerged of the cruise ship, the Jewel of the Seas, off the Dorset coast.
When the Cornwall illusion occurred, the BBC meteorologist David Braine said it was common in the Arctic but can appear “very rarely” in the UK during winter.
It is caused by a meteorological phenomenon called a temperature inversion. Normally, the air temperature drops with increasing altitude, making mountaintops colder than the foothills. But in a temperature inversion, warm air sits on top of a band of colder air, playing havoc with our visual perception. Both the Cornwall and Bournemouth instances were caused by chilly air lying over the relatively cold sea, with warmer air above.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/18/pop-up-enabled-ship-hover-dorset-coast-superior-mirage
From August:
Advertising via the Mudeford Ferry Facebook page, he began running 2.5 hour "ghost ship" tours that sail within 50 meters of some of the vessels, while he uses his intimate knowledge of the cruise industry to entertain his customers.
...
Ships sometimes spotted off the coast of Mudeford include Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Allure of the Seas -- gigantic floating cities that normal carry thousands of people.
A little farther west, the Carnival Valor and Cunard ships including Queen Mary 2 can be found
The vessels don't always stay moored in one place -- but Derham uses his insider connections to help keep tabs on a couple of the ships.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ghost-cruise-boat-tour-uk/index.html
