A series of spooky and bizarre images have emerged from the UK over the weekend, all showing one or more ships seemingly levitating above the ocean water from a distance. Although the photographs show levitating ships, scientists describe the image as an optical illusion, a 'superior mirage', a bending of light based on atmospheric conditions. The same images have been seen all over the world, and perhaps most famously in China where cities were seen floating in the clouds. However, the division between science and the fringe makes little since due to the fact that legends like the Flying Dutchman are themselves based on 'scientific' observations of the natural world and told in terms relatable to the times. In other words, there is no difference between a levitating ship and an optical illusion described by an atmospheric phenomena.

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