Stunning moment ghostly figure in halo of light 'walks among the clouds' in rare 'Brocken spectre' phenomenon
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It's a rare phenomenon not often captured on camera - but the results are truly stunning.
The Brocken spectre effect - which is essentially caused by the observer's shadow - makes it seem as though ghostly figures lit up in a halo of light are walking among the clouds.
And it makes for some pretty fantastic photographs.
Florian Clément observed the 'figure' while walking in France atop Europe’s tallest sand dune.
The photographer managed to capture the scene on the Dune of Pilat as the mysterious presence follows every step that Mr Clément takes.
The photographer, aged 20, said the sighting on the Dune of Pilat was likely a Spectre of Brocken – a rare natural phenomenon.
(Image: Credit: Pen News/Florian ClÃ©ment)
(Image: Credit: Pen News/Florian ClÃ©ment)
It’s caused when an observer’s shadow is blown up to a huge size and cast against a cloud of the right density – causing a rainbow-like halo.
Mr Clément said: “The phenomenon had already been observed two years ago at this same place, but I just saw some pictures.
“It appears as a remarkable enlarged shadow cast on a layer of fog and surrounded by a circular rainbow .
“The phenomenon is better known by airplane pilots who are more likely to be able to observe it.”
(Image: Credit: Pen News/Florian ClÃ©ment)
(Image: Credit: Pen News/Florian ClÃ©ment)
The Spectre of Brocken takes its name from a peak in Germany’s Harz Mountains, where it’s been spooking climbers for centuries.
It often appears huge because the observer’s shadow falls on water droplets at varying distances from the eye – confusing depth perception.
The ghostly figure is usually triangular due to perspective, while it can appear to move quite suddenly because of the movement of the cloud layer.
The phenomenon was first described Johann Silberschlag in 1780, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would later envision Brocken as a place of witches in his 1808 play, Faust.