In case you've ever wondered, science YouTubers have explained why roads look wet on hot days

Have you ever wondered why roads look wet on hot days? Well, look no further.

These science YouTubers explained why the illusion happens, and there’s actually a very simple answer.

It’s all to do with hot air and how light travels within it, plus the way our brains interpret the journey.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

The road conditions have to be just right

Let’s face it – the state of roads is vital for motorists.

They need to be in perfect shape to allow a smooth ride for cars.

To make conditions safer, a Pennsylvania town uses squiggly road lines to slow down speeding drivers, which you can watch above.

Plus, did you know that Will Smith has had a road named after him in Philadelphia?

When it’s hot weather, though, strange things can happen.

Roads can look wet on hot days

Have you ever been cruising down the highway and realized that the road looks wet?

Well, that illusion is called a mirage.

It’s all down to hot air and bouncing light. But here’s the thing, there’s not actually any light bouncing off the surface, it’s simply all an illusion.

On hot days, the ground harbours heat

The guys over at the On The Shoulders of Science YouTube channel explained what causes a mirage, and broke the process down step-by-step.

But the bottom line is, when we see a puddle after a hot summer’s day, it’s actually not a puddle at all.

When the weather is hot, the road absorbs the warmth, and the hot air near the road is thinner.

Now, the reason it looks wet is all down to light and the rate at which it travels.

As you’d expect, light speeds up when it travels in warmer, thinner air, and when it hits the cooler, more moist air, it slows down.

As the light moves into the thinner air, though, it also slowly changes direction.

“At some point, the light bends so much that it beams back upwards into your eyes, but our brains just assume that the light came to us in a straight line, so it looks like it’s reflecting off the road,” explained the channel.

That sure has answered one of our biggest questions when hitting the road in the summer.

Take a look at the explanation from the masterminds below:

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