A hiker trekking through a mist-covered mountain range recently captured a truly surreal and breathtaking sight, which has quickly gone viral across social media platforms.
The extraordinary phenomenon involves the hiker’s own shadow appearing to float within the fog, dramatically encircled by a vibrant, luminous solar halo.
The Optical Phenomenon Explained
What the hiker witnessed is actually a combination of two distinct, rare optical effects: the Brocken Spectre and the Glory.
The Brocken Spectre makes the shadow appear enormous and distant, often giving the impression that it’s floating. This happens when the observer is positioned on a ridge or peak (like a mountain) with the sun directly behind them, and there is fog or mist in the valley or below them.
A hiker captures his own shadow floating in the mountain mist, surrounded by a glowing solar halo
A rare yet completely natural phenomenon pic.twitter.com/4NVEiB0m2Z
— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) November 20, 2025
The droplets of water in the mist reflect the sunlight back towards the sun, but this light is scattered in such a way that the shadow is cast onto the mist.
The second part of the spectacle is the radiant halo surrounding the shadow’s ‘head,’ which is known as a glory. This colorful ring is much smaller than a typical rainbow or sun halo.
It’s caused by the diffraction of sunlight bending and scattering by the tiny, uniformly sized water droplets in the fog. The observer must be directly between the sun and the cloud of droplets to see it. It is always centered on the observer’s shadow.
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Nature Dual Optical Magic
The rare combination of these two effects a massive, floating shadow (the Brocken Spectre) encased by a circular, colorful rainbow (the Glory) creates a stunning visual illusion that often leaves first-time viewers in awe. It’s a phenomenon typically seen by mountain climbers or from aircraft.
The original video, shared by the lucky hiker, shows the figure walking slightly, causing the massive shadow to move across the foggy backdrop while the bright ring of the glory remains fixed around its head.
Comments across social media are filled with people expressing amazement, with many users describing the image as something out of a fantasy film or a truly once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity.
The video is a spectacular reminder of the complex and beautiful ways that light interacts with water in the atmosphere, turning a simple hike into an encounter with natural magic.
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