Are all mirages created by the brain?

Question

I learned that all mirages are created by the brain becuase your brain tries to fool you into believing what you want to see.

Answer 1

No. A mirage can be created by light rays being bent to reflect and refract light. This often takes the form of water on roadways when it is not really there. It can also show a reflection of buildings that exist, but are not where a person is seeing them. Water mirages are most common however.

Answer 2

No. Some "mirages" are optical illusions which cause you to see something accurately, but in a spot in which it is not expected. These types of phenomena require no (mis)interpretation by the brain.



WK