Chicago’s Floating Skyscrapers May Be A Mirage, But They Are Cool To See [Video]

Because of the curvature of the earth, it's impossible to see the Chicago skyline from Southwest Michigan, right?

Think again. A strange mirage cause by thermal inversion allows Chicago's skyscrapers to seemingly 'float' on Lake Michigan and a Michigan resident has captured some stunning videos of the effect.

Joshua Nowicki's time lapse videos of the thermal inversion illusion are some of the most stunning of the effect I've seen.

In this first one, the Chicago skyline seems to float on the Lake Michigan water just off the coast of the dunes of Stevensville, and then they light up as the sun sets.

Here's another one, this time from St. Joseph, where the skyline extends for what seems like miles.

And here's one from Warren Dunes, where the effect is more brilliant.

The cause of thermal inversion and why it produces such an illusion is explained here by The Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams.