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We’re all familiar with man made optical illusions,
but did you know that nature can actually produce optical illusions as
well? For example, have you ever witnessed something that seemed a
little bit off in nature? Maybe something moving that shouldn’t be
moving? Or maybe a natural phenomenon resembling something completely
out of place. From clouds and halos to auroras and mirages these are
some optical illusions and phenomena only seen in nature!
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Horsetail Falls - It’s not actually on fire, but when the light hits the
water at the right angle, it sure looks like it!
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Sun Dogs - Also known as phantom suns, this happens when ice crystals in
the atmosphere create the effect of having two extra suns on either side
of the real sun.
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Light Pillar - Once again, ice crystals
are responsible for the vertical beam you sometimes see over light
sources in the sky.
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Cloud shadows - Looking like islands on an ocean, cloud shadows can make
for an interesting effect, especially in low lighting conditions.
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Atlas Moth - The Atlas Moth comes with two snakes on its wings for
protection!
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Dew on spider web - Early in the morning spider webs can create some
amazing “floating water” illusions.
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Green Flash - Sometimes occurring right before or after sunset, a green
spot will appear right above the rim of the sun for a few seconds.
Although they are caused by a variety of factors, the general
explanation is that light is being bent in the atmosphere.
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Circumzenithal Arc - Similar to a rainbow, this optical phenomenon
typically has much purer colors. Once again, rather than being caused by
raindrops it is usually caused by ice crystals.
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Halo - Often seen around the sun or the moon, the most popular is the
“22 degree halo” often seen around the sun. Sometimes when a halo
surrounds the moon it is called a “moon ring”.
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Crepuscular rays - These are sun rays that appear to
stream through the clouds from a point in the sky where the sun is
located.
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Aurora light - In the northern hemisphere it is known
as the Aurora Borealis while in the southern hemisphere it is called
Aurora Australis. These phenomena are caused by magnetic rays and solar
wind interacting with the upper atmosphere.
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Gonepteryx rhamni - This butterfly has some incredibly
realistic camouflage.
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Magnetic Hill - A magnetic hill is a hill that is
actually sloped downwards but due to its surroundings the hill appears
to slope upwards. The effect is best seen by putting your car in neutral
and drifting “uphill”!
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Lenticular Clouds - These lens shaped clouds have been
responsible for more than one UFO sighting.
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