Mountains in the Alaska Range appear to have changed shape as the result of a complex mirage known as fata morgana. The mirage, named after a mythical fairy enchantress who learned to change shapes from Merlin the Magician, is produced by reflections of light from strong, low-level temperature inversions in the atmosphere. Instead of traveling straight through the inversion layers, light is bent toward the cold, dense air. (Photo by Bill Roth / Anchorage Daily News)
Published: January 17, 2003