Noninverted images in inferior mirages

Appl Opt. 2011 Oct 1;50(28):F12-5. doi: 10.1364/AO.50.000F12.

Abstract

Inferior mirages over sun-exposed roads often appear in isolated strips at their near sides and the reflected scenery exhibits multiple images. This effect is explained as due to slight undulations of the road's surface. At the same time, some of these images, although they are reflections, are not inverted. Photographic material illustrates this phenomenon and a ray tracing study is presented that confirms these conclusions.