How mirages work

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I always thought that mirages were something like hallucinations that someone saw when they weren’t “all there” mentally due to lack of water or something else. However then I saw [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/hn1g19/mirage_seen_on_lake_ontario_this_morning/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) and now I’m really confused

In: Physics

Anonymous 0 Comments

Mirages are optical illusions caused by light refracting oddly either from the landscape/water/heat haze/etc, not a hallucination. One of the most common mirages looks like a body of water, because it’s reflecting light in a way similar to how a body of water reflects light.

This causes people in the middle of the desert to think they see an oasis that isn’t actually there. Over time pop culture, legends, stories, and especially cartoons have translated it to a more metaphorical version of the word that’s more “paradise” than “oasis.”

Of course there’s also heat stroke and exhaustion and dehydration that can cause hallucinations. So if you’re stranded in the desert chasing an illusion of water, you could very well end up in hallucination territory.