One person taking a stroll on a beach had no idea she would soon get an opportunity to witness and photograph an exciting optical illusion.

Monika Shaffner was enjoying the sandy beach at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand and as what most people strolling on a beach would do, she looked out to sea. That’s when she noticed a boat some distance away.

But Monika had to do a double-take because it appeared to be floating on air. She filmed the whole thing and shared it on social media.

She said: “I filmed this optical phenomenon that made a ship look like it was floating in the air.”

The whole phenomenon is caused by what is called a Fata Morgana (Mirage). In calm weather, a layer of warm air sits over colder and denser air and that causes an image to become distorted.

While Monika was clear about her photo being caused by an optical illusion, there are other photos circulating on the Internet that make people scratch their heads even though they are also caused by optical illusions.

One such photo on Reddit was shared earlier in the month that appeared to show a grey trash bin floating over the pavement.

It’s obviously an optical illusion but it was still enough to leave people wondering.

One person asked on Twitter: “Do you also see this bin floating? Lol.”

Another befuddled user said: “Yep. I saw a floating bin. Stay safe everyone.”

“Floating bins being issued by Oldham Council,” put a third.

While another added: “My wheels bin is floating.”

But there were more people out there who were willing to explain that it was just an illusion and not some advanced technology that accidentally made its way to the street.

The position of a wet patch of concrete beside the bin, as well as the camera angle, made it appear as if the bin was hovering.

One user explained the theory, saying: “A nice example of how we infer object position from what we presume to be a cast shadow.”

Others chimed in to support the mundane explanation.

“It looks like a floating garbage bin. But it actually was just a wet spot on the pavement,” said one.

Another added: “Things are not always as they seem! FYI the bin is not floating, but it is the first thing our brain makes us think!

“I love a good optical illusion. It demonstrates just how much our brain can mislead us to what is really going on! (photo from reddit). PS its a wet patch.”

 

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