The Brocken, Harz National Park, Germany Mar 8, 2026

Imagine reaching the Brocken in Harz National Park, Germany, as clouds slide across the ridge. With the sun behind you, mist ahead—then a giant, haloed shadow forms. Ever wondered why climbers once feared this sight? The phenomenon, called the Brocken spectre, is an eerie natural optical effect that occurs when sunlight projects a person"s shadow onto cloud or fog. Rising about 1,141 metres, the Brocken is the highest peak in northern Germany and has long inspired folklore, including tales of witches gathering here during Walpurgis Night.

© imageBROKER/AVTG/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Mar 8, 2024Iguazú Falls, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Mar 8, 2025Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 8, 2025Donkeys in a valley near Rhyolite, Nevada, United States
Dec 5, 2025Maya site of Copán, Honduras
Aug 25, 2025Calcite Springs Overlook and Yellowstone River, Wyoming, United States
May 7, 2026Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, United States
Jul 9, 2025Constitución railway station, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jul 25, 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Nov 30, 2025Christmas market in Leipzig, Germany
Sep 1, 2024River Thames, England, United Kingdom
May 4, 2026Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tataouine district in southern Tunisia
Mar 31, 2026Paradise Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
Sep 14, 2023Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
Mar 28, 2026African buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Nov 1, 2023Haut-Barr Castle, Vosges, France
Oct 28, 2023Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Nov 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA
Dec 26, 2025Lakes of Covadonga, Asturias, Spain
Jan 27, 2025Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Jun 25, 2025St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Feb 13, 2026Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Dec 5, 2023Castles in the Bavarian Alps
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States
Aug 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
Dec 19, 2025Bormio, Lombardy, Italy
Jul 18, 2024Coral reef in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte, France
Jul 3, 2024Meerkat family