The phenomenon of the “Flying Dutchman” recorded in Corfu was mentioned in a post on X by the director of EMY, Thodoris Kolydas.

As Mr. Kolydas explains, this is the phenomenon of the upper mirage that occurs “in periods of anticyclone prevalence and especially when the air blowing on the sea surface happens to be much colder than the upper layers of the atmosphere.”

As Mr. Kolydas adds in his post, “in these cases the observer from the shore may suddenly notice small boats or large ships, high walls, majestic mansions, mountain ranges, strange cities and landscapes floating above the horizon, where the sea meets the sky.”

“This phenomenon is a strange playfulness of the atmosphere and is caused by the refraction of light rays. Thanks to this, objects, which are actually up to hundreds of kilometres away, appear (elevated, magnified or inverted) above the horizon,” adds the EMY director.

Explaining what we see in the photo, Kolydas notes that in the first photo the sailboat seen in the background appears to be in the sky on the opposite course to the sailboat seen in the foreground (it is the same). A similar phenomenon appears more clearly in the second photo even though the photo is taken in a wide open shot where the mountains of Albania can be seen in the background.

In his detailed post on his website, Kolidas explains that the photo he is analyzing is not the mirage phenomenon because in that case there would be distortion of the idols.

SUPERIOR MIRAGES IN CORFU – THE “FLYING DUTCHMAN” PHENOMENON

During periods dominated by anticyclones, especially when the air at the sea surface is much colder than the upper layers of the atmosphere, superior mirages occur.

In these cases, an observer from the shore may suddenly see small boats or large ships, tall walls, magnificent palaces, mountain ranges, strange cities, and landscapes hovering above the horizon, where the sea meets the sky.

This phenomenon is a peculiar trick of the atmosphere caused by the refraction of light rays. As a result, objects that are actually located up to hundreds of kilometers away appear (elevated, magnified, or inverted) above the horizon.

A myth about this phenomenon, where the images do not change form, describes our current phenomenon: the myth of the Flying Dutchman.

The recording of the phenomenon in Corfu was made on the morning of Monday, July 15, 2024, by Mr. @George_Charonis, to whom we are particularly grateful. #Mirage #FlyingDutchman