What is looming? Explain with a diagram according to ICSE
Dear student,
Looming is also an optical illusion which occurs usually in very cold regions. In looming, a distant object such as a ship moving in polar areas appears to be hanging in midair due to atmospheric refraction and the total internal reflection of light rays.
In Polar Regions the layers of air near the surface of earth are very cold and hence behave as optically denser medium. Whereas, the upper layers of air are comparatively warm and hence behave as optically rarer medium. Now, a ray of light coming from point S of ship goes from denser to rarer medium along the path SB and bends away from the normal, at every layer due to atmospheric refraction. But, at a particular layer, when the angle of incidence becomes greater than the critical angle, the total internal reflection occurs, and the totally reflected ray travels along the path BE and reaches the observer, so the reflected ray BE appears to be coming from the point S’ to the observer. Due to this, the observer sees a virtual and erect image of the ship at position S’, which is much above the actual position of the ship in the sea.
Regards
Looming is also an optical illusion which occurs usually in very cold regions. In looming, a distant object such as a ship moving in polar areas appears to be hanging in midair due to atmospheric refraction and the total internal reflection of light rays.
In Polar Regions the layers of air near the surface of earth are very cold and hence behave as optically denser medium. Whereas, the upper layers of air are comparatively warm and hence behave as optically rarer medium. Now, a ray of light coming from point S of ship goes from denser to rarer medium along the path SB and bends away from the normal, at every layer due to atmospheric refraction. But, at a particular layer, when the angle of incidence becomes greater than the critical angle, the total internal reflection occurs, and the totally reflected ray travels along the path BE and reaches the observer, so the reflected ray BE appears to be coming from the point S’ to the observer. Due to this, the observer sees a virtual and erect image of the ship at position S’, which is much above the actual position of the ship in the sea.
Regards