brockenspectre
10th Jul 2003, 05:14
As y'all know I love brockenspectres so much I chose their name as my proon "handle" ... AngleAndAttack took the following pic and very kindly sent it to me because, up to now, whenever i have seen my circular rainbows (or been about to fly through one) I haven't had a camera to hand.
Please would anyone else who has a pic of a brockenspectre post it here? Also tell all your pals on the commercial side as they are more likely to be getting great pics on a daily basis!
Thanks!! and Tack sa mycket to A&A
:ok:
http://members.aol.com/karma21094/brock1.jpg
Brockenspectre – a definition
This is also called a glory. Aircraft are one place to spot glory. The most common sightings are on mountaintops. In fact, that's where it was first reported. The mountain is in Germany and it's called The Brocken. There, glory earned the name brockenspectre.
In the early 1800s, mountaineers climbed through a combination of fog and sunlight. They thought they saw images of God warning them to climb no further. These apparitions to be nothing more than sunlight reflected through tiny cloud droplets. The droplets act as prisms, much like they do in rainbows.
Glory appears as a full circle, not as an arc like a rainbow. It is only visible when sunlight is at the observer's back. The shadow produced falls on a cloud and appears to be surrounded by a halo. When the sun is high, an airplane offers the best view point because the plane's shadow and the clouds are directly below. In the low-angled sunlight near dawn and dusk, the shadow of a hiker can project onto a nearby cloud. This creates what looks like a halloed companion.
Please would anyone else who has a pic of a brockenspectre post it here? Also tell all your pals on the commercial side as they are more likely to be getting great pics on a daily basis!
Thanks!! and Tack sa mycket to A&A
:ok:
http://members.aol.com/karma21094/brock1.jpg
Brockenspectre – a definition
This is also called a glory. Aircraft are one place to spot glory. The most common sightings are on mountaintops. In fact, that's where it was first reported. The mountain is in Germany and it's called The Brocken. There, glory earned the name brockenspectre.
In the early 1800s, mountaineers climbed through a combination of fog and sunlight. They thought they saw images of God warning them to climb no further. These apparitions to be nothing more than sunlight reflected through tiny cloud droplets. The droplets act as prisms, much like they do in rainbows.
Glory appears as a full circle, not as an arc like a rainbow. It is only visible when sunlight is at the observer's back. The shadow produced falls on a cloud and appears to be surrounded by a halo. When the sun is high, an airplane offers the best view point because the plane's shadow and the clouds are directly below. In the low-angled sunlight near dawn and dusk, the shadow of a hiker can project onto a nearby cloud. This creates what looks like a halloed companion.