-
What do the different number plate colours of cars mean in France?
Standard passenger vehicles must be white, but do you know what the other colours signify?
-
France's sealed scientific secrets are unlocked 100 years after submission
Plis cachetés reveal centuries-old sealed envelopes containing scientific discoveries and inventions
-
Small town in Normandy attracts record visits on Wikipedia
A new ranking puts this famous coastal town in first place, followed by a medieval hilltop favourite, and three mountain resorts
Photographer captures ghost-like figure in Gironde
One could be forgiven for mistaking this apparition on the Dune of Pilat in the Gironde (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) for a ghost - but it is actually the surprising result of a naturally-occurring phenomenon.
In a phenomenon known as “the Brocken spectre”, the ghostly figure appeared Sunday January 28 on the dune, when local photographer Florian Clément began capturing these images and video, reports explained.
Rather than a supernatural being, this is actually a natural phenomenon that takes place when bright sunlight on one side hits a cloud or fog on the other, and an object - such as a human being, for example - is positioned in the middle.
The object or body then appears as a huge, ghostly figure with a rainbow-like halo around it.
The halo is actually a separate phenomenon again, and a result of the fog or cloud itself. It is often known as the “Ulloa's ring”, or - as its appearance might suggest - a “fogbow”.
The Brocken spectre does not only appear in the Gironde; indeed, the name itself comes from the highest peak of the same name in the Harz mountain range in Germany (and is known in German as the Brockengespenst), and is often seen in mountainous or especially high-up places.
This is not the first time the phenomenon has been witnessed on the Dune of Pilat (which is the tallest sand dune in Europe, and found in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area, 60 km from Bordeaux).
A “spectre” was also seen there in 2016, according to Mr Clément himself, whose experience was recounted on the Météo du Pays de Buch Facebook page.
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France