Local photographer captures rare phenomenon at Grandfather Mountain
The Brocken spectre name comes from a mountain in Germany, but Leslie Restivo knows firsthand that you don’t need to be in Bavaria to catch this spectacular spectre.
GRANDFATHER, N.C. — “I looked up toward Grandfather Mountain and could see the fog and the sun peeking through, and I felt it,” Leslie Restivo recounts.
“I knew it was coming again.”
And the shot Leslie Restivo snagged this weekend was the granddaddy of them all: a Brocken spectre.
“It doesn’t feel like real life; it’s almost like you’re in a fairytale,” Restivo beams, “It’s magical and it’s spiritual.”
It’s also science at its best. A Brocken spectre takes shape when an object’s shadow is projected onto a cloud as the sun rises or sets. If the sun hits the water droplets in the cloud just right, then a mini-rainbow, known as a glory, can also form. The Brocken name comes from a mountain in Germany, but Restivo knows firsthand that you don’t need to be in Bavaria to catch this spectacular spectre.
“There are so many unique environments in Grandfather as you move from the bottom to the top, from the top, back to the bottom, you can experience so many different things,” says Restivo.
The self-taught photographer says she’s seen this phenomenon over a dozen times in her work with Grandfather Mountain State Park over the past few years – an experience she’s more than happy to share with us.
“I love sharing this beautiful place,” Restivo smiles.
“There’s nowhere else like it, there really isn’t. It’s just magical. And if I can make one person’s day better with a photo, then I’ve done it.”
Follow Leslie on Instagram and Facebook – you may just see this spectacle once again very soon.
