An interesting visual phenomenon at Winthrop Beach

Submitted by boston_acc t3_z06ocl in boston

So I was at Winthrop Beach recently, and as I was looking out at the horizon with my binoculars, I noticed some structures in the distance that seemed to be floating on thin air—a lighthouse, for example. Now I’ve heard of mirages, but this was so visually striking that I thought I’d give it a google to learn more about the underlying science.

It turns out, this is a specific type of mirage called the “Fata Morgana” (wiki), and it requires a precise set of conditions in order to take form (a thermal inversion that bends light rays more than the curvature of the Earth does). I’m not sure if any of you have seen this same thing there, but I thought I’d share since it seemed cool.

Here’s a Google image that resembles what I saw.

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Comments

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BluestreakBTHR t1_ix3w3h3 wrote

You can also see this type of mirage just above the surface of the road on a hot summer day.

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DegenGolfer t1_ix6rd8t wrote

Hampton beach and Rye NH does this with the Isle of Shoals

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Archivist1380 t1_ix5m15l wrote

There was an interesting documentary years ago that hypothesized the titanic’s lookouts fell victim to a similar mirage which was why they failed to see the ice berg in time to move out of the way. Pretty interesting idea and it has some compelling evidence from what I remember.

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boston_acc OP t1_ix5p1s2 wrote

Interesting! I always imagined the titanic struck the iceberg at night—in the darkness—but I guess I was wrong.

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Archivist1380 t1_ix5wj1o wrote

Believe it or not, other ships sailed at night -in the darkness- and somehow managed to not become a century defining nautical catastrophe.

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wsdog t1_ix6rlhl wrote

I watched that, the theory is very questionable borderline made up. But they had an interesting analysis of measures taken after the Titanic and arguing that most of them would not help.

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Ihavecometochewbbgum t1_ix4xvf6 wrote

False!! Fata Morgana cannot form in cold dry air conditions! What you’re referring to is called Golus Morgana

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forty_three t1_ix5o0n4 wrote

Yeah! I see them reasonably often (few times a year, maybe) off Castle Island, particularly on cold days in the winter just after sunrise

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aly-moon t1_ix78t40 wrote

I think... with the thermal inversion, it is not just the cold, but the rapid temperature drop? The ocean remains warmer than the air, when it does this so quickly and it creates the perfect scenario to create these. I periodically work offshore. On lighthouses, ironically

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HeartrendingExpress t1_ix5sjw3 wrote

Yes, funny co-incidence I've also once seen the mirage and it was while sailing in Boston Harbor looking south, south east, off the coast of Marblehead, not far from Winthrop. Could be that the conditions there are good for it.

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boston_acc OP t1_ix5ts99 wrote

That’s my thinking. It’s hard to believe because there’s no adjacent buildings. You just this floating lighthouse out of nowhere.

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djangobliss t1_ix93fbc wrote

Here's a post from a few years ago with some great photos of Graves Lighthouse, capturing the Fata Morgana.

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boston_acc OP t1_ix9e960 wrote

Incredible. We have the benefit of science to know what this is but imagine being a 16th century sailor and stumbling upon one of these. Must’ve been so puzzling.

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