Bending light using heat: DIY Airplane editionThese images were captured from an airplane overlookin

Bending light using heat: DIY Airplane edition

These images were captured from an airplane overlooking San Fransisco. But there’s something interesting going on here and something you can try the next time you are flying.

Right near the the middle of the image you should be able to notice a haze in the image. This is due to the exhaust from the engine.

Hot air is less dense than cold air.

And this creates a gradient in the refractive index of the air. 

The turbulence of the air emanating from the exhaust gases also has a direct correlation to the degree of distortion of the image.

More the turbulence, more the distortion.

Although the above image is from a commercial aircraft, the effect is even more dramatic in fighter jets.