The greatly enlarged, ghostly shadow of an observer cast onto a bank of cloud or fog below them, typically from a mountain summit with the sun low and behind the viewer, often surrounded by the colored rings of a glory. The shadow appears magnified because the observer stands far closer to the light source than to the distant cloud surface it falls upon, an effect of simple geometry. It takes its name from the Brocken, the highest peak in Germany's Harz Mountains.
Facts
Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe magnified, apparently enormous shadow of an observer cast in midair upon cloud opposite a strong light source. 1 First DescribedJohann Silberschlag, 1780 1 Sources
1. Brocken spectre, Wikipedia
Introduction
the magnified (and apparently enormous) shadow of an observer cast in midair upon any type of cloud opposite a strong light source.
Occurrence
The Brocken spectre was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780, and has often been recorded in literature about the region.
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