The mirage of rain

Did you ever know the fact that you can't walk in a straight line without a visual point? If you try to walk without any visual guidance like in a foggy scene or a desert, you'll end up walking in a circle.

Known as the 'circle-walking phenomenon', it has been a subject of scientific inquiry.

But this wouldn't be of much help if you were lost in a desert.

Fascinatingly, this peculiar behavior connects to another incredible desert illusion - the mirage.

When heat radiates from the ground, it distorts the light waves in the air above.

As our brain assumes light travels in a straight line, it interprets the bent rays as if they come from a water body, causing an illusion of a shimmering oasis in the middle of a desert.

These two facts combined made it even more difficult for early desert explorers, leading them in circles towards the ever-elusive mirage..