Which optical phenomenon is responsible for the formation of mirages in deserts during hot summer days?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Mirages occur due to total internal reflection when light rays travel through successive layers of air with decreasing density and increasing temperature near the desert floor, bending upward toward an observer. Alternative choices involve dispersion or scattering phenomena that explain rainbows or the blue color of the sky rather than desert illusions. Optical phenomena driven by refractive index gradients are common topics in physics syllabi.