brocken spectre

brocken spectre
   Also known as Spectre of the Brocken and mountain spectre. The name Brocken spectre, or Brockengespenst in German, refers to the Brocken, a peak in the Harz mountains in Germany. It is used to denote a * physical illusion consisting of the observer's disproportionally large shadow projected upon the surfaces of clouds at the horizon facing the rising or setting Sun. The person credited with documenting the phenomenon for the first time, in 1780, is the German theologist and natural scientist Johann Esaias Silberschlag (1721-1791). As noted by Silberschlag and numerous observers after him, both near the Brocken peak and in other mountainous regions. Brocken spectres typically arise when a low-lying Sun projects a large shadow into a bank of mist or fog in the distance. The resulting shadow figure may appear to be moving. and strike one as being three-dimensional in shape because of the extent to which the shadow is projected into the fog. and because of the relative movements of separate fog banks. Lending the phenomenon an even more impressive appearance. Brocken spectres can be accompanied by coloured concentric arches or circles, called glories or * Brocken bows, and a pale outer arch or circle which is called a white rainbow or *Ulloa circle. These * halo figures are explained by reference to the interaction of sunlight and droplets of water suspended in the air.
   References
   Flammarion, C. (1873). The atmosphere.Trans-lated by Pitman, C.B. Edited by Glaisher, J. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, & Searle.
   Lynch, D.K., Livingston, W. (1995). Color and light in nature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dictionary of Hallucinations. . 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Brocken spectre — Brocken spectre. This is not actually on Brocken, but was taken in the Tanzawa Mountains in Japan; despite the name, the phenomenon is not unique to Brocken and can occur in any misty mountain region …   Wikipedia

  • Brocken spectre — Brocken specter Brock en spec ter or Brocken spectre Brock en spec tre [Trans. of G. Brockengespenst.] A mountain specter (which see), esp. that observed on the Brocken, in the Harz Mountains. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Brocken spectre — /brokˈən spekˈtər/ noun The shadow of an observer, enlarged and often surrounded by coloured lights, thrown onto a bank of cloud, a phenomenon sometimes encountered on mountain tops ORIGIN: Brocken, a peak in the Harz mountains of Germany …   Useful english dictionary

  • Brocken spectre — noun a magnified shadow of an observer thrown on to a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. Origin C19: named after the Brocken, the highest of the Harz Mountains in Germany …   English new terms dictionary

  • Brocken spectre — /brɒkən ˈspɛktə/ (say brokuhn spektuh) noun a phenomenon, sometimes observed in mountain regions during fog or mist when the sun is behind the observer, in which the observer s shadow appears to be surrounded by rainbow colours; glory. {named… …  

  • Spectre de Brocken — avec Gloire Un spectre de Brocken ou spectre du Brocken (en allemand Brockengespenst) est l ombre considérablement agrandie d un objet, observée d un sommet montagneux dans la direction opposée au Soleil, sur un nuage de gouttelettes d eau ou sur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Spectre de brocken — avec Gloire Un spectre de Brocken ou spectre du Brocken (en allemand Brockengespenst) est l ombre considérablement agrandie d un objet, observée d un sommet montagneux dans la direction opposée au Soleil, sur un nuage de gouttelettes d eau ou sur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Spectre du Brocken — Spectre de Brocken Spectre de Brocken avec Gloire Un spectre de Brocken ou spectre du Brocken (en allemand Brockengespenst) est l ombre considérablement agrandie d un objet, observée d un sommet montagneux dans la direction opposée au Soleil, sur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Spectre de Broken — Spectre de Brocken Spectre de Brocken avec Gloire Un spectre de Brocken ou spectre du Brocken (en allemand Brockengespenst) est l ombre considérablement agrandie d un objet, observée d un sommet montagneux dans la direction opposée au Soleil, sur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Brocken (disambiguation) — Brocken is the highest peak in northern Germany. It also may refer to: *Sender Brocken, a facility for FM and TV transmitters on Brocken Mountain *Brocken spectre, also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre , an atmospheric optical phenomena… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”