00:00Well, have you ever been driving on a hot summer day and noticed the road looks wet
00:04and suddenly it looks like there's a puddle up ahead, almost like the Looney Tunes mirage in
00:09the desert? I was going to say the Rugrats with Chucky, so that was my thing. Hilarious that we
00:14both have a thing. That's probably, Ali's thinking of one of those too. Anyway, that shimmering
00:18illusion, it is called a mirage and it's more than just a trick of the eyes. Our Ali Reid is
00:23live from Mount Laurel, New Jersey this morning to explain the science behind this heat-driven
00:29phenomenon. What an intro, Ali. Take it away.
00:35Good morning, Ari and Jeff, and talk about a perfect morning to tell this story. You guys
00:41are mentioning that heat wave for many places across the country. It is hot, hot, hot all
00:47over the U.S., and that's going to lead into next week too. So maybe if you're driving to
00:52the park, like behind me, or maybe the pool, you might potentially see on roadways right
00:59near you that shimmering illusion. There's a little bit of physics behind it too. Take
01:05a look at the video. If you don't know what we're talking about, this will explain it just
01:08a little bit better for you. It's something that many of you have probably seen dozens
01:13of times, especially on days like today and through next week, with the sun blazing and
01:18the pavement heating up. You think you see water glistening in the distance, but when
01:22you get a little bit closer, it's gone. It's not a glitch in your own vision, no. It is
01:28physics here, and it all starts with heat rising off the road. When the summer sun beats down
01:33on asphalt, the road absorbs that heat very fast, making it much hotter than the air above
01:38it. As light from the sky travels through these layers, it bends, changing speed as it moves
01:43from cooler, dense air into warmer, thinner air.
01:47Air travels differently for different densities of air. So when that sun beams down on the pavement
01:56and it's very hot, and then that reflection back up into the sky, where you have much cooler
02:03air, what happens is the air actually bends a bit. The light bends a bit. And what happens
02:10is, since it's bending at a shallow angle, the farther away you are from that point where
02:15the sun is hitting the ground, you see this mirage appearance, where it looks like a wavy
02:20structure. Here's the catch, though. Your brain assumes that light travels in a straight
02:28line. So instead of seeing it as bent, your brain interprets it as a reflection on the ground.
02:34This is why it could look like water. Again, that wavy look is the classic sign of a mirage,
02:40an illusion caused entirely by physics, not moisture. So no, your brain is not playing tricks on you,
02:48or I guess it can be if you are looking at it on the road. But it's something to keep in mind when
02:54you are driving. It can be a safety concern, right? We know those pavements are going to be
02:58very hot over this week and next. So A, take care of your children, your pets, when you are walking
03:05from to and from a location, maybe going to a park like this one. But also when you're getting behind
03:10the wheel of your car, again, it may look a little wonky on the roads the next couple of weeks
03:15as it is so hot. So something to just keep in mind. You're okay, I promise. Your brain may be just
03:22playing a few tricks on you. The brain loves to do that. Yeah, that's great stuff. Yeah, very informative
03:28there, Allie. Thanks so much.
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