why air becomes “wobbly” (and, thus, kind of visible) when it’s hot

Question

why air becomes “wobbly” (and, thus, kind of visible) when it’s hot

In: 581

Answer 1

Air can distort the light our eyes use to see. If air gets hotter or cooler, it changes density – and therefore how much it distorts the light changes. When you see something through hot air in some spots and cooler air in others, it looks distorted.