--- title: "Chilling Optical Illusion Creates Ghostly Figure Hiding in the Fog" description: "Thanks to a rare and very trippy optical illusion called the \"Brocken spectre,\" the sensation of being followed may not be just in your head after all." date: "2022-11-15" modified: "2022-11-15" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/optical-illusion-brocken-spectre" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "clouds" - "optical illusion" - "the digest" - "weather" --- # Chilling Optical Illusion Creates Ghostly Figure Hiding in the Fog ![Thanks to a rare and very trippy optical illusion called the "Brocken spectre," the sensation of being followed may not be just in your head after all.]() *\Image: Chris Randall/Twitter\* ## Ghost in the Fog Thanks to a rare and trippy optical illusion, the sensation of being followed may not be just in your head after all. In a [viral video]() shot on a picturesque nature hike, an otherworldly shadow figure is seen tailing the cameraperson. A faint rainbow halo is seen around the figure, which looks more like something from a 1950s sci-fi film than something shot on a camera phone in 2022. "Creepy to see it out of the corner of my eye," hiker Chris Randall wrote in his post, "and think it was someone else moving." https://twitter.com/ultrapeakschris/status/1591872052805660672 ## Go For Brocken As Randall noted in the tweet, he'd seemingly experienced his first "Brocken Spectre" — a mind-bending optical illusion that occurs on misty days when the Sun casts a shadow of a person ([or plane]()) onto the fog, causing the shadow to be both magnified and take on a rainbow halo. Named for the German mountain range where they were first describedby scientist Johann Silberschlag in the 18th century, these ghostly visages have long fascinated visitors to misty locales. Mythology surrounds these specters everywhere they're seen, from [Scotland's Big Grey Man]() to what is called "[Buddha's Light]()" in China. These specters, it should be noted, are [pretty to easy to create while hiking]() and have become something of a viral sensation themselves in the social media era. Given that it was posted on a site that [may soon itself become a ghost](), however, makes this unmanufactured and very creepy Brocken spectre all the more poignant. **More optics:** [*Argh! This Optical Illusion Makes You Feel Like You're Falling Into a Black Hole*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()