The existence of a video file like fata_morgana_1_2020-12-03 suggests a modern attempt to document this fleeting event. Capturing a true Fata Morgana on camera is notoriously difficult because:
Historically, these sightings have been blamed for some of maritime history’s greatest mysteries:
: This creates an "atmospheric duct" that acts like a lens, magnifying and distorting objects that are actually below the horizon.
: The illusion often disappears if the observer moves just a few feet up or down.
The name originates from the between Sicily and Italy. Sailors believed the sorceress Morgan le Fay used her magic to create ethereal palaces over the water to lure mariners to their doom.
: As light passes between these layers of differing densities, it bends (refracts) in a curve.