Repeat of a One Time Observation (short inferior mirage transition time lapse) @heathcarmody2867

Heath Carmody | Repeat of a One Time Observation (short inferior mirage transition time lapse) @heathcarmody2867 | Uploaded May 2023 | Updated October 2024, 8 hours ago.
Got another unplanned chance to go back to the same location as in my "Opportunistic Observation" video. A much calmer day this time. It's a very nice lake, but a bit of a drive and not the best viewing distance range or far target reference for analyzing apparent Earth shape.

The inferior mirage disappears gradually revealing more land and water, while the rest of the image remains virtually unchanged over the course. Except for the background blurring near the end, which might have been a focus thing. This is probably when the complicated mirage effects would have started, since the local lakes are a mixing bowl of vastly different temperature water right now. That combined with the extreme spring heat we've had lately should make for some very dynamic refraction effects after the initial inferior mirage phase.

This is shot at a fairly wide angle compared to most of my time lapse, so while the refraction effects may seem subtle, it's still a fairly big/strong inferior mirage at the start. Camera height wasn't measured but it's in the half meter range. I may research and post the distances of the 3 points of land, if anyone cares that much. Unfortunately, my battery died after just over 2 hours of recording, even though it was charging while recording. Being in the direct hot sun around midday might have been a factor as well.

No claims, comparisons or subtitles. Easy enough video to make that I don't even care if it only gets 50 views. Thanks for watching!

$Repeat of a One Time Observation (short inferior mirage transition time lapse) Got another unplanned chance to go back to the same location as in my Opportunistic Observation video. A much calmer day this time. Its a very nice lake, but a bit of a drive and not the best viewing distance range or far target reference for analyzing apparent Earth shape. The inferior mirage disappears gradually revealing more land and water, while the rest of the image remains virtually unchanged over the course. Except for the background blurring near the end, which might have been a focus thing. This is probably when the complicated mirage effects would have started, since the local lakes are a mixing bowl of vastly different temperature water right now. That combined with the extreme spring heat weve had lately should make for some very dynamic refraction effects after the initial inferior mirage phase. This is shot at a fairly wide angle compared to most of my time lapse, so while the refraction effects may seem subtle, its still a fairly big/strong inferior mirage at the start. Camera height wasnt measured but its in the half meter range. I may research and post the distances of the 3 points of land, if anyone cares that much. Unfortunately, my battery died after just over 2 hours of recording, even though it was charging while recording. Being in the direct hot sun around midday might have been a factor as well. No claims, comparisons or subtitles. Easy enough video to make that I dont even care if it only gets 50 views. Thanks for watching!$

$Strong Upward Refraction Over Land (on a cloudy, rainy day)$

Fata Morgana of a Boat Floating Above The Water

$Another Long Refraction Time Lapse at Shelter Bay$ $Ferry Drop Water Bands More footage from 12 km point observation #10. This was a camera elevation drop test from about chest height to a few inches off the ground. Very shaky footage but the best I could find with distinct bands. A bit of an optical illusion, especially when sped up. The compression of the bands is of course due to perspective from lowering the camera, but it also gives the effect of moving backwards. Ferry getting just slightly closer over the duration but not a considerable amount. Keep your eyes on the different color/texture bands of water and watch how the dull patches disappear into inferior mirage (or become inferior mirages) quicker than the reflective patches. The last few seconds of the drop the camera elevation doesnt change. This video also relates to my last two videos. What is the correlation between these patches and refraction? I tracked and stabilized it in DaVinci Resolve which makes the overall image a little more distorted. Had to drop quite a few frames to make it more watchable and its not lined up perfect but good enough to illustrate a point. There is a pretty big gap at the end of the sequence where I had to reposition from holding the camera at about 1 foot to setting it on the ground at 6 inches or less. Video comparing this trip from 2 camera heights is almost complete.$

Swanalyzer Tool Demonstration (new 2023)

$A Different Perspective (Wavy Heat Distortion Time Lapse) From 12 km point observation #8 (test #5). With my two better cameras used for the tests, I decided to try something different with the third camera. I set it on a small flat rock in the damp sand some 100 meters from the shoreline where my close camera was set up. The ground in front of the camera is mostly flat and elevated a foot or so above the water. The idea was to capture a transition from the extreme wavy distortion which was present at the start of the observation, to hopefully less distortion as the sun disappeared and the air cooled down (or at least stopped warming). The 12 km shoreline was very hazy at first but got much better towards the end. Inferior mirage persisted for the entire observation. I dont have a height reference but I could estimate close enough to determine how much of the ferry is hidden below the mirage fold line. Although, that is really what the test cameras are for. Full video on this test coming soon. I tried not to disturb the camera at all but I did walk close to it a few times to make sure it was still recording and in focus. The camera should have been quite stable, which is why what it captured is very interesting. I still cant eliminate camera movement as a factor, so Im hesitant to blame refraction for full frame movement. Maybe some of the test footage will reveal more. Bottom line is that I need more cameras!$