When you see 'heat rising', what are you actually seeing?
When you see 'heat rising', what are you actually seeing?
Like the title says: when you see "heat rising" (the wavy/blurry area above a heat source), what are you actually seeing?
Bonus question: How does that cast a shadow? I noticed when I was opening my air fryer, I could see the shadow of the heat rising but, looking at the hot basket itself, couldn't see it.
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You’ve gotten some good answers explaining that heat changes the density, and therefore the index of refraction of air.
Fun fact: Schlieren Imaging allows one to photograph shockwaves by relying on the same effect. As a shockwave travels through air, it creates a region of high density, which can be imaged with this technique.
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