"is currently not understood. Fata Morgana, a type of mirage, may be responsible for some flying saucers sightings, by displaying objects located below the astronomical horizon hovering in the sky, and magnifying and distorting them. Similarly some unidentifieds seen on radar might also be due to Fata Morgana-type atmospheric phenomena, though more technically known as ""anomalous propagation"" and more commonly as ""radar ghosts"". Official UFO investigations in France suggest: Fata Morgana was named as a hypothesis for the mysterious Australian phenomenon Min Min light. The first documented patent for a lenticular flying machine was submitted by Romanian inventor Henri Coanda."
"A Fata Morgana is an unusual and very complex form of mirage, a form of superior mirage, which, like many other kinds of superior mirages, is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian phrase derived from the vulgar Latin for ""fairy"" and the Arthurian sorcerer Morgan le Fay, from a belief that the mirage, often seen in the Strait of Messina, were fairy castles in the air, or false land designed to lure sailors to their death created by her witchcraft. Although the term Fata Morgana is sometimes incorrectly applied to other, more common"
"Fata Morgana (mirage) A () is a complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian term named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages, often seen in the Strait of Messina, were fairy castles in the air or false land created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their deaths. Although the term Fata Morgana sometimes is applied to other more common kinds of mirages, true Fata Morgana is different from both an ordinary superior mirage and an inferior mirage. Fata Morgana"
"is best to view them through binoculars, a telescope, or as is the case in the images here, through a telephoto lens. Gabriel Gruber (1740–1805) and (1744–1806), who observed Fata Morgana above Lake Cerknica, were the first to study it in a laboratory setting. ""La Fata Morgana"" (""The Fairy Morgana"") is the name of Morgan le Fay in Italian. Morgan le Fay, also known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana, and other variants, was described as a powerful sorceress and antagonist of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. As her name indicates, the figure of Morgan appears to have"
"Madness"", in which the narrator states: ""On many occasions the curious atmospheric effects enchanted me vastly; these including a strikingly vivid mirage—the first I had ever seen—in which distant bergs became the battlements of unimaginable cosmic castles."" Fata Morgana (mirage) A () is a complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian term named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages, often seen in the Strait of Messina, were fairy castles in the air or false land created by her witchcraft to"
"Fonte della Fata Morgana The Fonte della Fata Morgana (in English: ""Fountain of Fata Morgana""), locally also called '""Casina delle Fate"" (""Little Fairy House""), at Grassina, not far from Florence, Italy, in the comune of Bagno a Ripoli, is a small garden building, built in 1573–4 as a garden feature in the extensive grounds of the Villa il Riposo of Bernardo Vecchietti on the slope of the hill called ""Fattucchia"". It is among that group of artificial garden grottoes and nympheums made for private gardens, and less well known than those in the Boboli Gardens or the Medici villa at"
"Fata Morgana when the Tor appears to rise out of the mist. This optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light are strongly bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed. The Italian term ""Fata Morgana"" is derived from the name of Morgan le Fay, a powerful sorceress in Arthurian legend. The sides of the Tor have seven deep, roughly symmetrical terraces, or lynchets. Their formation remains a mystery with many possible explanations. They may have been formed as a result of natural differentiation of the layers of"
"If the gradient is less (as it almost always is) the rays are not bent enough and get lost in space, which is the normal situation of a spherical, convex ""horizon"". In some situations, distant objects can get elevated or lowered, stretched or shortened with no mirage involved. A Fata Morgana, the name of which comes from the Italian translation of Morgan le Fay, the fairy shapeshifting half-sister of King Arthur, is a very complex superior mirage. It appears with alternations of compressed and stretched areas, erect images, and inverted images. A Fata Morgana is also a fast-changing mirage. Fata"
"the unwary to their death. Morgan le Fay is associated not only with Etna, but also with sirens. In a medieval French Arthurian Romance, ""Floriant et Florete"", she is called ""mistress of the fairies of the salt sea"" (""La mestresse [des] fées de la mer salée"".) Ever since that time, Fata Morgana has been associated with Sicily. Walter Charleton, in his 1654 treatise ""Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana"", devotes several pages to the description of the Morgana of Rhegium, in the Strait of Messina (Book III, Chap. II, Sect. II). He records that a similar phenomenon was reported in Africa by Diodorus Siculus,"
"a Greek historian writing in the first century BC, and that the Rhegium Fata Morgana was described by Damascius, a Greek Philosopher of the sixth century AD. In addition, Charleton tells us that Athanasius Kircher described the Rhegium mirage in his book of travels. An early mention of the term ""Fata Morgana"" in English, in 1818, referred to such a mirage noticed in the Strait of Messina, between Calabria and Sicily. The Flying Dutchman, according to folklore, is a ghost ship that can never go home, and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The Flying Dutchman is usually spotted"
"of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed. The Italian name ""Fata Morgana"" is derived from the name of Morgan le Fay, who was alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants. Morgan le Fay was described as a powerful sorceress and antagonist of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. Glastonbury is less than across the River Brue from the village of Street. At the time of King Arthur the Brue formed a lake just south of the hilly ground on which Glastonbury stands. This lake is one of the"
"Pratolino. The ""Fonte di Fata Morgana"" at one time was enriched by sculptures, including one by Giambologna. Recently acquired by the Comune di Bagno a Ripoli, the site is under restoration. Fonte della Fata Morgana The Fonte della Fata Morgana (in English: ""Fountain of Fata Morgana""), locally also called '""Casina delle Fate"" (""Little Fairy House""), at Grassina, not far from Florence, Italy, in the comune of Bagno a Ripoli, is a small garden building, built in 1573–4 as a garden feature in the extensive grounds of the Villa il Riposo of Bernardo Vecchietti on the slope of the hill called"
"sky. A Fata Morgana can also magnify such an object vertically and make it look absolutely unrecognizable. Some UFOs which are seen on radar may also be due to Fata Morgana mirages. Official UFO investigations in France indicate:<ref name=""Official UFO Investigations in France: the GEPAN/SEPRA Project""> Electromagnetic-Wave Ducting By V. R. Eshleman</ref> Fata Morgana mirages could explain the mysterious Australian Min Min light phenomenon. Fata Morgana Land, a phantom island in the Arctic reported first in 1907. After unfruitful search it was deemed to be Tobias Island. A Fata Morgana is usually associated with something mysterious, something that never could"
"Margali Szardos Margali Szardos, also known as Margali of the Winding Way, Red Queen or Fata Morgana, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ""Uncanny X-Men Annual"" #4, and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita Jr. based on sketches by John Byrne. Margali is Nightcrawler's adopted mother. She is also the biological mother of Amanda Sefton, formerly known as Daytripper and the second Magik. Margali Szardos' past is as much of an enigma as she is. She was supposedly born in Paris, France and taught magic"
"castle located at or floating over Mount Etna. As such she gave her name to the form of mirage common off the shores of Sicily, the Fata Morgana, since the 14th century. References linking Avalon to Sicily can be found in ""Otia Imperialia"" (c. 1211) and ""La faula"", as well as in Breton and Provençal literature, for example in ""Jaufre"" and in ""La Bataille Loquifer"" (c. 1170). The 13th-century romance ""Floriant et Florete"" places Morgan's secret mountain castle of Mongibel (Montgibel or Montegibel, derived from the Arabic name for Etna), where, in the role of a fairy godmother, Morgan and"
"Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning ""Morgan the Fairy""), alternatively known as Morgana, Morganna, Morgain, Morgaine, Morgane, Morgen, Morgne, and Morgue among other names and spellings, is a powerful enchantress in the Arthurian legend. Early appearances of Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and related to King Arthur as his magical savior and protector. Her prominence increased over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist, particularly as portrayed in cyclical"
"described as a very complex superior mirage with more than three distorted erect and inverted images. Because of the constantly changing conditions of the atmosphere, a Fata Morgana may change in various ways within just a few seconds of time, including changing to become a straightforward superior mirage. The sequential image here shows sixteen photographic frames of a mirage of the Farallon Islands as seen from San Francisco; the images were all taken on the same day. In the first fourteen frames, elements of the Fata Morgana mirage display alternations of compressed and stretched zones. The last two frames were"
"kinds of mirages, the true Fata Morgana is not the same as an ordinary superior mirage, and is certainly not the same as an inferior mirage. Fata Morgana mirages tremendously distort the object or objects which they are based on, such that the object often appears to be very unusual, and may even be transformed in such a way that it is completely unrecognizable. A Fata Morgana can be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions or in deserts. This kind of mirage can involve almost any kind of distant object, including such things as boats, islands, and"
"Morgana mirages are most common in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice with a uniform low temperature, but they can be observed almost anywhere. In polar regions, a Fata Morgana may be observed on cold days; in desert areas and over oceans and lakes, a Fata Morgana may be observed on hot days. For a Fata Morgana, temperature inversion has to be strong enough that light rays' curvatures within the inversion are stronger than the curvature of the Earth. The rays will bend and create arcs. An observer needs to be within an atmospheric duct to be able"
"from afar, sometimes seen to be glowing with ghostly light. One of the possible explanations of the origin of the Flying Dutchman legend is a Fata Morgana mirage seen at sea. A Fata Morgana superior mirage of a ship can take many different forms. Even when the boat in the mirage does not seem to be suspended in the air, it still looks ghostly, and unusual, and what is even more important, it is ever-changing in its appearance. Sometimes a Fata Morgana causes a ship to appear to float inside the waves, at other times an inverted ship appears to"
"American"" described a ""remarkable mirage"" seen by the citizens of Buffalo, New York. This description might refer to looming due to inversion rather than to an actual mirage. From McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Fata Morganas are often seen during the Antarctic spring and summer, across McMurdo Sound. An Antarctic Fata Morgana, seen from a C-47 transport flight, was recounted: Fata Morgana mirages may continue to trick some observers and are still sometimes mistaken for otherworldly objects such as UFOs. A Fata Morgana can display an object that is located below the astronomical horizon as an apparent object hovering in the"
"to see a Fata Morgana. Fata Morgana mirages may be observed from any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere, including from mountaintops or airplanes. A Fata Morgana can go from superior to inferior mirage and back within a few seconds, depending on the constantly changing conditions of the atmosphere. Sixteen frames of the mirage of the Farallon Islands, which cannot be seen from sea level at all under normal conditions because they are located below the horizon, were photographed on the same day. The first fourteen frames have elements of a Fata Morgana display—alternations of compressed and stretched zones. The last"
"Fata Morgana requires a duct to be present; thermal inversion alone is not enough to produce this kind of mirage. While a thermal inversion often takes place without there being an atmospheric duct, an atmospheric duct cannot exist without there first being a thermal inversion. A Fata Morgana is most commonly seen in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice that have a uniform low temperature. It may, however, be observed in almost any area. In polar regions the Fata Morgana phenomenon is observed on relatively cold days. In deserts, over oceans, and over lakes, however, a Fata Morgana"
"to remain from her comic background is her name, as said by her husband. She is voiced by Teryl Rothery. Margali Szardos Margali Szardos, also known as Margali of the Winding Way, Red Queen or Fata Morgana, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ""Uncanny X-Men Annual"" #4, and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita Jr. based on sketches by John Byrne. Margali is Nightcrawler's adopted mother. She is also the biological mother of Amanda Sefton, formerly known as Daytripper and the second Magik. Margali Szardos'"
"temptation and only attempts to learn about his parentage, without success. He boldly resists the flattering advances of the fay and her damsels, whose sinister nature he suspects, but later too receives an absolution after confessing to the Pope in any case. Sibilla is also a recurring character in Italian works of the 16th century, such as in Gian Giorgio Trissino's ""L'Italia liberata dai Goti"" (1547). The names and characters of Sibilla, Morgan le Fay (""Fata Morgana"") and the fairy queen Alcina are often interchangeable in Italian tales of fairies; for example, Morgan substitutes for Sibilla in P.A. Caracciolo's 15th-century"
"mirages significantly distort the object or objects on which they are based, often such that the object is completely unrecognizable. A Fata Morgana may be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions, or in deserts. It may involve almost any kind of distant object, including boats, islands, and the coastline. Often, a Fata Morgana changes rapidly. The mirage comprises several inverted (upside down) and erect (right side up) images that are stacked on top of one another. Fata Morgana mirages also show alternating compressed and stretched zones. The optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light are bent when"
"coastline. A Fata Morgana is not only complex, but also rapidly changing. The mirage comprises several inverted (upside down) and erect (right side up) images that are stacked on top of one another. Fata Morgana mirages also show alternating compressed and stretched zones. The Novaya Zemlya effect is a polar mirage caused by high refraction of sunlight between atmospheric thermoclines. The Novaya Zemlya effect will give the impression that the sun is rising earlier or setting later than it actually should (astronomically speaking). Depending on the meteorological situation the effect will present the sun as a line or a square"
"the Italian Renaissance, Morgan has been primarily featured in relation to the cycle of epic poems of Orlando (based on Roland of the historical Charlemagne). In Matteo Maria Boiardo's late-15th century ""Orlando Innamorato"", fata Morgana (initially as lady Fortune) is beautiful but wicked fairy enchantress, a sister of King Arthur and a pupil of Merlin. Morgana lives in her paradise-like garden in a crystal cavern under a lake, plotting to eventually destroy the entire world. There, she abducts her favourites until she is thwarted by Orlando who defeats, chases and captures Morgana, destroying her underwater prison and letting her keep"
"""Magico"". Pietro Aretino's 16th-century ""Ragionamenti"" mentions a certain ""sister of Sibilla of Norcia and aunt of Morgan the Fairy (Fata Morgana)"". Sebile Sebile, alternatively written as Sedile, Sebille, Sibilla, Sibyl and other similar names, is a mythical medieval queen or princess who is frequently portrayed as a fairy or an enchantress in the Arthurian legends and Italian folklore. She appears in a variety of roles, from the most faithful and noble lady to a wicked seductress, often in relation with or substituting for the character of Morgan le Fay. Some tales feature her as a wife of either King Charlemagne"
"width at arm's length—at the horizon."" The 18th-century poet Christoph Martin Wieland wrote about ""Fata Morgana's castles in the air"". The idea of castles in the air was probably so irresistible that many languages still use the phrase Fata Morgana to describe a mirage. In the book ""Thunder Below!"" about the submarine USS ""Barb"", the crew sees a Fata Morgana (called an ""arctic mirage"" in the book) of four ships trapped in the ice. As they try to approach the ships the mirage vanishes. The Fata Morgana is briefly mentioned in the HP Lovecraft horror novel ""At the Mountains of"
"at first glance have a cheery or boyish look about them, there is a more sensitive idea at their basis. Recurrent underlying themes are desire, homesickness and sentiment: a frozen moment of happiness or a childhood memory. The sometimes even comical appearance of his work has the effect of a layer of pink sugar frosting. This can be witnessed in his Fata Morgana [Under heaven 02], built under the A10 highway in Amsterdam. An oasis under the highway, where palm trees, banana trees and flowers grow and a waterfall splashes down off some rocks. The sun appears always to be"
"may be observed on hot days. To generate the Fata Morgana phenomenon, the thermal inversion has to be strong enough that the curvature of the light rays within the inversion layer is stronger than the curvature of the Earth. Under these conditions, the rays bend and create arcs. An observer needs to be within or below an atmospheric duct in order to be able to see a Fata Morgana. A Fata Morgana may be observed from any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere, from sea level up to mountaintops, and even including the view from airplanes. A Fata Morgana may be"
"(1560) further introduces Morgana's three daughters: Carvilia, Morganetta, and Nivetta, themselves temptresses of knights. Morgan's other 16th-century appearances include these of Morgue la fée in François Rabelais' French satirical fantasy novel ""Les grandes chroniques du grand et énorme géant Gargantua et il publie Pantagruel"" (1532) and of the good Morgana in Erasmo di Valvasone's Italian didactic poem ""La caccia"" (1591). In Edmund Spenser's epic poem ""The Faerie Queene"" (1590), Argante (Layamon's name for Morgan) is lustful giantess queen of the ""secret Ile"", evoking the story of Morgan's kidnapping of Sir Alexander. It also features three other counterpart characters: Acrasia, Duessa,"