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I have captured for the Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia the powerful arc of fog with the specter of Brocken in the Santuari dels Munts, in Sant Agustí de LLuçanès.
Specifically, I share three snapshots: one with a powerful fog arc, another with a Brocken spectrum, and another with both optical effects.
These effects occur above the fog with the sun behind us. The Brocken spectrum has the colors of the rainbow but inverted, while the fog arc is white.
The reason why it is called the Brocken spectrum is found in Germany, where, as in the Catalan region of Lluçanès, frequent fogs occur on the Brocken, a peak of the Harz Mountains.
The Brocken specter was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780. And, since then, it has often been recorded in German literature when talking about, for example, the devil and witches.
The Santuari dels Munts is an excellent viewpoint located at an altitude of 1057 meters. Els Munts is a mountain located between the municipalities of Sant Agustí de Lluçanès and Sora, in a transition zone towards Berguedà, to the east; and Ripollès, to the north.
