Brocken Spectre

Brocken Spectre

The Brocken Spectre (German Brockengespenst) is an optical phenomenon that got its name near the foggy peak called Brocken in the Harz Mountains in Germany. The illusion appears when a low sun is behind someone climbing these peaks looking downwards into the mist or fog from a ridge or peak. The shadowy figure is referred to as the “spectre”, which converges towards the antisolar point (or the point opposite the sun) around which the glory rings (light halos) are also centered. This phenomenon is often viewed from airplanes, as long as the sun is behind it and there is sufficient atmospheric moisture to cause the diffraction of sunlight.

Recent Infographics

Volcanoes

Volcanoes

How hot is lava? What is the difference between a cinder and a caldera? Examine the cross-section of a volcano, learn about different volcanic formations and how their eruptions differ, and compare the temperatures of lava to magma in this infographic by Weather Underground.

Sundogs

Sundogs

The Sundogs infographic by Weather Underground describes how light from the sun refracts off ice crystals to portray a half-circle around the sun. Due to the specific angles required for this phenomenon, Sundogs usually occur at sunrise and sunset when ice crystals are present in the air.

Rainbows

Rainbows

Who discovered the science behind rainbows? Why do two rainbows occasionally develop? Why are the colors always in the same order? All your rainbow questions answered here in the rainbows infographic by Weather Underground.