photo #6184433

Stand with the Sun behind you as your shadow shines down onto cloud, such as hill fog, and you might catch a glimpse of a ghost staring back at you. This is an optical effect known as a Brocken spectre, which takes its name from the Brocken peak of the Harz Mountains in Germany, a place where the effect must happen often. Sylvia Yates (Member 47,285) spotted her Brocken spectre while hiking Win Hill in Derbyshire, England. The Sun was casting her shadow onto Stratus clouds down the slope. Sylvia’s apparition appeared distorted due to the effect of perspective. And as the cloud’s tiny droplets reflected back the sunlight, they diffracted and scattered it, separating the wavelengths to appear as a crown of subtle colours, known as a glory, around its head. Look for a glory like this when you’re next on a flight. The same rings of colour can appear around the aircraft’s shadow as it is cast down onto clouds below.