Brocken bow

Brocken bow
/boh/
anticorona.
[so called from frequent observation of the phenomenon by individuals standing on the BROCKEN at sunset]

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▪ natural phenomenon
also called  Anticorona, Glory, Brocken Spectre, or Mountain Spectre,  

      the apparently enormously magnified shadow of an observer cast, when the Sun is low, upon the upper surfaces of clouds (cloud) that are below the mountain upon which he stands. The apparent magnification of size of the shadow is an optical illusion that occurs when the observer judges his shadow on relatively nearby clouds to be at the same distance as faraway land objects seen through gaps in the clouds. The phenomenon is often observed on mountain peaks but is recorded in literature with special reference to the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany where the Brocken bow sometimes produces spectacular effects. The observer's shadow is often surrounded by coloured bands or rings that are the result of the diffraction of sunlight by water droplets in the cloud. The phenomenon of rainbowlike bands around a shadow on a cloud is also commonly observed from airplanes flying in sunlight above a cloud layer.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • brocken bow —    The name Brocken bow refers to the Brocken, a peak in the Harz mountains in Germany. It is used as a synonym for the terms glory and *Ulloa s bow, provided that the latter phenomenon is accompanied by a * Brocken spectre.    References… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • brocken bow — noun see brocken specter * * * /boh/ anticorona. [so called from frequent observation of the phenomenon by individuals standing on the BROCKEN at sunset] …   Useful english dictionary

  • 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 (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

  • Brocken — /brok euhn/; Ger. /brddawk euhn/, n. a mountain in N central Germany: the highest peak in the Harz Mountains. 3745 ft. (1140 m). * * * Highest point in the Harz Mountains, central Germany. Its granite peak reaches 3,747 ft (1,142 m). When the sun …   Universalium

  • brocken specter — noun or brocken bow ˈbräkən Usage: usually capitalized B Etymology: from Brocken, peak in the Harz mountains, Germany; Brocken specter, translation of German brockengespenst : an optical phenomenon sometimes seen from the summit of mountains or… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Brocken specter — an optical phenomenon sometimes occurring at high altitudes when the image of an observer placed between the sun and a cloud is projected on the cloud as a greatly magnified shadow. [1920 25; see BROCKEN BOW] * * * …   Universalium

  • Ulloa's bow —    Also known as glory. The eponym Ulloa s bow refers to the Spanish naval officer, explorer, and astronomer Antonio de Ulloa y de Torre Giral (1716 1795). It is used in meteorology to denote a * physical illusion consisting of one or more… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • Fog bow — 360 degrees fogbow A fog bow, solar …   Wikipedia

  • Johann Silberschlag — Johann Esaias Silberschlag (16 November 1721 – 22 November 1791) was a German theologian and natural scientist from Aschersleben, Principality of Halberstadt.In 1760, he became an external member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin,… …   Wikipedia

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