All images are © Alistair B. Fraser

The abstract of a talk given by

Alistair B. Fraser

Professor of Meteorology,
The Pennsylvania State University

The Mirage, the Green Flash, and Theological Optics

And about the fourth watch of the night
he cometh unto them walking upon the sea
St. Mark 7: 48

A mirage is nothing but an image produced when the atmosphere behaves as a giant lens. This profusely illustrated talk explores the appearance of a world filled with mirages, the distortions of which rival those seen in a carnival house of mirrors. Although mirages are simply explained, they have produced strange stories in the hands of those who confuse the appearance and behavior of these images with that of the original objects (which obey quite different rules).

References

Alistair B. Fraser, 1972: An observation of the blue flash. (letter). Weather, 27, 91.

Alistair B. Fraser, 1975: The Green Flash and Clear Air Turbulence. Atmosphere, 13, 1, 1-10.

Alistair B. Fraser, 1975: Theological Optics. Applied Optics, 14, 4, A92-A93.

Alistair B. Fraser and William H. Mach, 1976: Mirages, Scientific American, 234, 1, 102-111. (invited paper).

Alistair B. Fraser, 1976: So you think that the sun is round. Earth and Mineral Science Bulletin, 45, 7, 49-52.

Alistair B. Fraser, 1977: Solutions of the Refraction and Extinction Integrals for use in Inversions and Image Formation. Applied Optics, 16, 1, 160-165.

William H. Mach and Alistair B. Fraser, 1979: Inversion of Optical Data to Obtain a Micrometeorological Temperature Profile, Applied Optics, 18, 11, 1715-1723.

Alistair B. Fraser, 1979: Simple Solution for Obtaining a Temperature Profile from the Inferior Mirage. Applied Optics, 18, 11, 1724-1731.

Alistair B. Fraser, 1980: The Green Flash. Weatherwise, 33, 4, 173-174. (invited paper).

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