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(You)
may be interested in the fact that I possess a photograph of
a church spire in Tenby, halfway up which appears an
inverted image of what was afterwards identified as (a)
gunboat...12 miles distant. Though it was taken so long ago
on May 5, 1879, it is possible that copies can still be
procured if the photographer - Robert Symons...-- is still
in business. The editor of the Photographic News...said,
"Mr. Symons must be congratulated: he is the first to
photograph that most romantic phenomenon, the mirage"
This
mirage was originally reported in English Mechanic and World
of Science December 2, 1898, page 575.
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Its a little difficult to imagine
what this mirage might have looked like. I put all the basic
elements in my drawing - the church, the spire, the
upside-down boat - but I still can't quite picture it. I
wonder how Robert Symons came to take the photograph. Was he
taking a picture of the church or the mirage? Did he even
see the mirage when he took the picture?
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