Where do the "Dark Watchers" reside, and why are they drawn to fog? (video)

Imagine walking through the misty hills in the early morning, as the sun begins to break through the dense veil. According to scientists, this is the perfect time to look for "Dark Watchers," as reported by IFLScience.

The dark figure will not only follow you but will also mimic all your movements, experts note. This eerie optical illusion was first described by German scientist Johann Silberschlag, who referred to it as the "Brocken Specter." He observed this optical illusion during his long walks in the Harz Mountains.

Since then, the "Brocken Specter" has become a true sensation in literature, including works by Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll. Later on, this optical phenomenon began to be referred to as "Dark Watchers."

Despite the unsettling appearance of these dark figures, there is nothing supernatural about them. According to scientists, the dark pursuers will vanish as soon as you reach the summit of the mountain or hill you are climbing.

The reason is that "Dark Watchers" thrive in fog. They appear when a person casts a shadow onto a cloud or mist. This is how large dark silhouettes emerge, which also seem very distant.

Dark figures can move even when the person casting the shadow is standing still. Clouds are a dynamic phenomenon, and as water droplets shift, the shadow can also shift.

This effect adds even more eeriness to the figures in the fog, and one can only imagine how they frightened people in the past.

As a cherry on top, sometimes "Dark Watchers" may have a halo or glory, appearing as colorful rings around the head of the shadow. This occurs when light interacts with water droplets, creating circles of various colors.

The glory forms through a process similar to that of a rainbow, but it differs from it. In the glory, light is reflected and refracted in water droplets at different angles.

As a reminder, scientists explained how and why steam rises from water even in freezing temperatures. Researchers clarified the astonishing phenomenon of steam rising from a body of water when the air temperature is below freezing.