What Causes a ‘Mirage’ in the Desert?

A mirage is like a trick the air plays on your eyes. When it’s really hot, the ground gets super warm and starts to act like a mirror, that’s why you see things that aren’t there, like water in the middle of the desert.

The heat from the ground warms up the air just above it, making it less dense. Light bends as it moves through different layers of warm and cool air, so your eyes get confused, they think there’s a pool of water when there isn’t one.