fata morgana

This is what they call a superior mirage that usually happens in cold regions where there is temperature inversion. It is really strange to watch the shapes morph. This is a telephoto shot across McMurdo sound at 300mm.

Are you saying those dark things are not real??

Neat, Cynthia!

That's pretty cool! Thanks for sharing that with us.

Ok, I'm not seeing it. I must be mirage impaired.....

Pam, I could be wrong but I'm thinking those dark shapes are the mirages. They look sort of like buildings and like an outpost...at least that's my take on it.

Yes, the dark shapes are the mirage...they seem to float above the surface...kind of like the mirage of water you see on a highway in the heat, but those refract down...in this case the atmosphere makes them refract up and seem to float...those black areas are much smaller geologic objects, and may not even be visible to the naked eye if it weren't for the refraction.

Oh...and it's named after King Arthur's half sister Morgana who could change shape...or Morgan La Fay

Cool!