Brocken Spectre seen from the Castle of Loulouda in Greece, by Manolis Thravalos.

Manolis Thravalos wrote:

I was hiking on a mountain in Samos Island in Greece to prepare a travelogue for a local site I work for as a photographer. On the top of the steep hill you can see the ruins of a medieval castle, named the Castle of Loulouda, after the daughter of a local priest, who fainted and fell off the cliffs some hundreds of years ago.

While I was on the top, a blanket of fog rolled over the mountain and then I saw my first-ever glory and Brocken Spectre (or Loulouda’s Spectre if you want :)

This fog in correlation with the myths around this place was quite chilling!

In fact, the shadow on the mist is Manolis’ own shadow. Read more: What is the Brocken Spectre?

Thank you, Manolis Thravalos!

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.