A rare optical event was recorded on the morning of Sunday, November 1st, at Morro Gaúcho in Arroio do Meio, located within the Vale do Taquari region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. During a Halloween camping trip, approximately 60 individuals witnessed the occurrence of the Brocken Spectre.
This phenomenon occurs when an observer sees their own shadow projected onto a layer of clouds or fog with the sun positioned behind them. Under very specific conditions, sunlight creates a luminous and colorful halo around the shadow. The g1 news outlet consulted the Heller & Jung Observatory, which confirmed that the images genuinely depict this optical event.
Carlos Fernando Jung from the observatory explained that the video recording shows the Brocken effect, where a person's shadow is cast onto fog. He described it as an optical physical phenomenon featuring a person's body at the center, a "wall" of small water droplets (fog) on one side, and a light source on the other. This light source can be the sun, moon, a bonfire, or a lamp, projecting light toward the person so their shadow appears on the fog wall.
According to Jung, the shadow projected onto the fog can appear larger than the actual person. Because the fog is close, the shadow seems massive due to an optical illusion. The professor noted that the phenomenon's name originates from Mount Brocken, the highest peak in Germany's Harz Mountains, where frequent fog and accessibility made sightings historically famous, inspiring local myths and legends about specters.
Sources: G1.