![]() ![]() References in popular culture and the arts The ghost can appear to move (sometimes suddenly) because of the movement of the cloud layer and variations in density within the cloud. The shadow also falls on water droplets of varying distances from the eye, confusing depth perception. The apparent magnification of size of the shadow is an optical illusion that occurs when the observer judges their shadow on relatively nearby clouds to be at the same distance as faraway land objects seen through gaps in the clouds, or when there are no reference points by which to judge its size. The light projects their shadow through the mist, often in a triangular shape due to perspective. The "spectre" appears when the sun shines from behind the observer, who is looking down from a ridge or peak into mist or fog. Occurrence A semi-artificial Brocken spectre created by standing in front of the headlight of a car, on a foggy night. The Brocken spectre was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780, and has often been recorded in literature about the region. The phenomenon can appear on any misty mountainside, cloud bank, or be seen from an aircraft, but the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany, have created a local legend from which the phenomenon draws its name. Typically the spectre appears in sunlight opposite the sun's direction at the antisolar point. Additionally, if the cloud consists of water droplets backscattered, a bright area called Heiligenschein, and halo-like rings of rainbow coloured light called a glory can be seen around the head or apperature silhouette of the spectre. JSTOR ( September 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī Brocken spectre (British English American spelling: Brocken specter German: Brockengespenst), also called Brocken bow, mountain spectre, or spectre of the Brocken is the magnified (and apparently enormous) shadow of an observer cast in mid air upon any type of cloud opposite a strong light source.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ![]() Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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