Brocken spectre
E78851
The Brocken spectre is an atmospheric optical phenomenon in which an observer’s magnified shadow appears surrounded by a halo-like glory on clouds or mist, famously associated with eerie legends from Germany’s Harz Mountains.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Brocken bow | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
atmospheric optical phenomenon
ⓘ
meteorological phenomenon ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
Brocken spectre
ⓘ
surface form:
Brocken bow
mountain spectre ⓘ spectre of the Brocken ⓘ |
| hasColorPattern |
glory shows concentric colored rings
ⓘ
inner rings of glory are bluish ⓘ outer rings of glory are reddish ⓘ |
| hasComponent |
antisolar point shadow
ⓘ
glory ⓘ |
| hasCulturalReference |
associated with feelings of awe and fear
ⓘ
linked to tales of witches on the Brocken ⓘ referenced in Romantic literature ⓘ |
| hasEtymology | named after the Brocken peak in the Harz Mountains of Germany ⓘ |
| hasOrientation |
appears opposite the Sun
ⓘ
centered on the antisolar point ⓘ |
| isAssociatedWith |
Brocken
ⓘ
surface form:
Brocken mountain
German folklore ⓘ Harz ⓘ
surface form:
Harz Mountains
apparitions of giants ⓘ eerie legends ⓘ |
| isCausedBy |
backscattering of sunlight by water droplets
ⓘ
diffraction of light in cloud droplets ⓘ |
| isDocumentedSince | at least the 18th century ⓘ |
| isExplainedBy | wave optics of light scattering ⓘ |
| isOftenMisinterpretedAs | supernatural apparition ⓘ |
| isRelatedTo |
fogbow
ⓘ
glory ⓘ halo phenomena ⓘ |
| isSeenFrom |
aircraft
ⓘ
high vantage points above clouds ⓘ mountain summits ⓘ ridges ⓘ |
| observationSafety | can be observed safely with the naked eye ⓘ |
| occursIn |
clouds
ⓘ
fog ⓘ mist ⓘ |
| perceivedSize |
apparent size depends on distance between observer and cloud
ⓘ
appears larger when cloud is closer to the observer ⓘ |
| requiresCondition |
cloud or mist layer below the observer
ⓘ
low sun behind the observer ⓘ |
| requiresMedium | suspended water droplets in air ⓘ |
| visualEffect |
magnified shadow of the observer
ⓘ
shadow appears on cloud or mist ⓘ shadow is surrounded by a glory ⓘ shadow may appear distorted ⓘ shadow may appear to move eerily ⓘ shadow often appears enormous ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Brocken bow