In the crisp air of the last two days, a strange optical phenomenon has distorted the camp surroundings. Along the horizon in every direction, a warped image of the ice sheet rises up into the sky. This stretched and mirrored mirage is caused by the refraction of light traveling through the intensely cold, still air near the ice surface. The effect is called the 'Fata Morgana', after the legendary Arthurian fairy queen, said to live in a floating castle above Mount Etna. Sailors evoked this floating castle, and Morgana's sorcery, in explaining the deceitful images that moved on the horizon.
The presence of Fata Morgana's fairy castle made for pretty enjoyable work. We walked around our duty locations, watching the horizon draw and warp, occasionally hunching down to exaggerate the effect. With each change in perspective came a new contortion of reality, like the manipulations of a funhouse mirror or a powerful lens along the skyline.
It seemed as if there was a ridge, out beyond the station. As Guy put it over the radio, 'it looks like we're in a dish.'
