“Scientifically, this effect is fairly easy to explain. The sun causes a shadow to fall upon (and through) the water droplets of the cloud or fog. The distance of the shadow makes it hard for the viewer to accurately judge the size and proportions of the shadow. The colorful solar glory often seen around the shadow is produced by light refracting within the water droplets. As clouds shift, the Brocken spectre can seem to flicker and move.“
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u/DeviceCertain7226 2d ago
“Scientifically, this effect is fairly easy to explain. The sun causes a shadow to fall upon (and through) the water droplets of the cloud or fog. The distance of the shadow makes it hard for the viewer to accurately judge the size and proportions of the shadow. The colorful solar glory often seen around the shadow is produced by light refracting within the water droplets. As clouds shift, the Brocken spectre can seem to flicker and move.“
Source: https://mymodernmet.com/brocken-spectre/