Brocken ghost
This mystical name was given to this natural phenomenon by German mountaineers who observed it on Brocken Peak in the Harz Mountains. In fact, it is a kind of halo, but with the only difference that the shadow is reflected from a person, which causes the silhouette of the ‘Brocken ghost’ to appear in a multi-coloured glow. Due to the constant fogs, the locals saw it especially often, which contributed to the legend. The phenomenon was first described by the theologian and naturalist Johann Silberschlag in 1780. The Brocken ghost can also be seen in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui in Hawaii and in the Welsh mountains.
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Zodiacal light
In other words, this is what is known as a false dawn or false sunset. The phenomenon is a cone-shaped glow located at the point of sunrise or sunset. It is occasionally seen on moonless nights in equatorial latitudes. It is best seen during the equinoxes, that is, in March and September. Zodiacal light is formed as a result of scattering of sunlight in dust clusters in the ecliptic plane, i.e. the area of rotation of the planet around the Sun. By the way, earlier scientists took dust particles for the remains of asteroids and comets, and some still believe that the source of particles are dust storms on Mars. The zodiacal light is as bright as the Milky Way, so it’s easy to confuse the two. It is especially beautiful to observe these two ‘milky’ phenomena at the same time.
