A 33-year-old hiker managed to capture a ‘Brocken Spectre’ phenomenon that occurs at a certain height as well as a rare sun’s and cloud’s location.
On 7th February, Lee Howdle had his shadow appeared on the clouds when all the conditions for Brocken Spectre met perfectly at the same time.
The strange effect cast a person’s shadow on the sky when clouds are below the person with the sun exactly at the back.
Lee, who belongs to Langley Hills, photographed the view as he climbed 517m of Mam Tor, a hard-to-climb hill in England.
Speaking of how he managed to capture the spectacular scene, the adventurer and the photographer said: “It was truly a special moment.
“I went to the Peak District because I knew there was going to be a cold inversion where clouds form at low level beneath clear skies.
“When I got to Winnats Pass, it wasn’t that great because of where the clouds were.”
Revealing how he accidentally noticed the amazing phenomena, the hiker added: “Mam Tor is much higher, and above the clouds.
“As I was going up Mam Tor, by chance, I looked to the left side of me and there was a Brocken Spectre.
“My shadow looked huge. It was in this circular rainbow. I took some photos of it and carried on walking. It was like an angel in the sky over the hills, it was quite magical.
“As I was walking, I saw a sheep and the effect was around the sheep as well.”
Lee was truly amazed and stunned by looking at the rare sight in reality.
He said: “My main hobby is photography. It’s a hobby I really enjoy. I go to the Peak District every fortnight, or at least once a month.
“I have never seen this before in my life. I read about it once on the internet. It’s really amazing and I feel very blessed to have captured such a magical moment.”
Brocken Spectre was first sighted at the highest mountain in Germany called ‘Brocken’, somewhere between the 18th century.
Though many myths and fictitious tales are linked to the breathtaking marvel, science suggests logical reasoning behind it.
The reason for the rainbow rings that surround the person’s shadow is said to be the refraction of light in a particular direction, which then reflects back to the person in a special way.
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