Brocken Spectre and Glory, Optical Phenomenon, 1888

Illustration of the optical phenomenon called a Brocken spectre, by Camille Flammarion, 1888. A Brocken spectre (also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre) is the magnified and apparently enormous shadow of an observer cast upon clouds opposite the Sun's direction. The figure's head is often surrounded by the halo-like rings of colored light forming a glory, which appears opposite the Sun's direction when uniformly-sized water droplets in clouds refract and backscatter sunlight. The Brocken spectre was first observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780

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1780 Apparently Apparition Appears Brocken Camille Described Droplets Enormous Flammarion Forming Ghostly Magnified Observed Observer Often Opposite Optical Phenomenon Specter Spectre Spooky

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