A Fata Morgana was spotted over the Baltic Sea on June 20: ships near the horizon appeared as if they were hanging above the water. The phenomenon was recorded near Baltiysk in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, but the effect is typical of the Baltic Sea as a whole — under similar weather conditions, it can also be seen from the coast of Estonia.
Fata Morgana over the Baltic Sea on June 20, 2026
A Fata Morgana forms when a layer of warmer air appears above cold seawater. Light from distant objects bends as it passes through layers of air with different temperatures, visually shifting the image upward. As a result, a ship may appear to be “floating” in the air, even though it remains on the water.
Such Mirages Have Already Been Seen in Estonia
In December 2021, ERR / Novaator reported on a ship that, when viewed from the coast of Tallinn, looked as if it was “sailing through the sky.” Physicist Jaan Kalda from Tallinn University of Technology explained it as the same effect: air layers with different temperatures change the path of light, causing the image of the vessel to appear above its actual position.
Similar observations have been published before. Ilm.ee has records of mirages near Haapsalu, in Harju County, at Stroomi Beach in Tallinn, near Kolga Bay and on Hiiumaa. The Estonian Weather Service also notes that mirages in Estonia have been observed around the islands, over the Gulf of Finland, on Lake Peipus and sometimes above wide, straight roads.
The easiest places to spot such a mirage are open coastal areas with a clear view of the sea and distant ships: Narva-Jõesuu, the Tallinn coastline, Paldiski, Pärnu, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
A Fata Morgana is not an anomaly or a sign of sudden weather change. It is an atmospheric optical phenomenon. It may last only briefly: once the wind, temperature or humidity changes, the ship again looks like an ordinary spot on the horizon.
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