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3D Atmospheric Mirage Formation Simulator

A 3D scene of a distant coastline warping live through a temperature-gradient air layer stack — real layered-refraction geometry distortion showing how superior and inferior mirages stretch, invert and duplicate a real object into a UFO-like shape.

Physics & Mechanics3DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 2D version

This 3D companion to the mirage ray-diagram renders the same layered-refraction physics as an actual distorted object instead of a chart. A distant coastline is built from thin horizontal slabs; each frame, every slab's real height is run back through the Snell's-law slab-marching used to trace light through the temperature-gradient air stack, and the slab is redrawn at wherever that light actually arrives at the eye. Watch a normal coastline compress into a false shoreline (inferior mirage), stretch and loom upward (superior mirage), or fold into duplicated, floating ghost bands (Fata Morgana) purely by adjusting the temperature gradient — the same optics responsible for a large share of misidentified "UFO" reports.

⚙ Under the hood

A 3D coastline scene distorts in real-time as you change the temperature gradient, showcasing how light bends and refraction works.

atmospheric_phenomenalight_refractiontemperature_gradient

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install