Newsademic British English edition 260

ata
 
M
o r g a n a
Recently, tens o f thousands o f people 
living in the cities o f Jiangxi and Fos­
han in China saw something unusual 
in the sky. It looked as if there was a 
city of tall buildings floating in the
clouds. Videos people took o f the 
strange sight were broadcast on Chi­
nese television channels. Scientists 
explained that the ‘city in the sky’ was 
probably a type o f mirage, or optical 
illusion. It’s called a Fata Morgana.
Fata M organa seen above Jiangxi and Foshan
A Fata Morgana can happen 
when certain atmospheric condi­
tions occur. Light passing through 
layers of air, which are different 
temperatures, can create these kinds 
of mirages. Normally, the air closer 
to the ground or sea is warmer than 
air higher up in the sky. Occasion­
ally, a layer of warmer air forms 
above colder air below. This is 
known as a thermal inversion. Rays 
of light seen through a thermal in­
version can bend.
Fata Morgana images have been 
seen in many parts o f the world. 
They can appear in deserts, over 
land and sea and in places covered 
by snow and ice. Often they look 
as if a distant object is reflected or 
floating in the sky. Several shapes, 
one on top of the other, can appear. 
Sometimes the object in the sky is 
inverted, or upside-down. These 
objects can be islands, coastlines, 
ships or boats, and buildings. A Fata 
Morgana can change quickly and 
even look like it is moving.
The name, Fata Morgana, comes 
from a legendary figure in the tales 
o f King Arthur and his Knights of 
the Round Table. In the story she 
is a sorceress, or witch, who uses 
magic spells. In the King Arthur leg­
ends written in English her name is

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