In pictures: Mountain climber captures rare fog bow and spectre

A mountain climber has captured two rare weather phenomena - a fog bow surrounding a Brocken Spectre - in the same photograph.

A brocken spectre caught in a fog bow from the top of Ben A'an. Picture: SWNS

John McSporran, 58, managed to take a snap of the fascinating weather events when he climbed Ben A’an in the Trossachs to be met by the sun rise.

The retired cop looked over the ridge to see a rare fog bow.

But he was left stunned when he spotted what is known as Brocken Spectre, a rare phenomenon caused by the sun and his own shadow.

Climber John McSporran on top of Stob Mhic Mhartuin in Glencoe. Picture: SWNS

The weather events are fairly rare, and capturing both of them at once is even more unusual.

John, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, said: “I travelled to Ben A’an, got there early in the morning and climbed up the mountain with a head torch.

“I waited for the sunrise and as the sun crested, all of sudden, I saw a fog bow with my Brocken Spectre projected into the middle of it.

“I’ve seen Brocken Spectres before but have never seen both of them together. It was really, really rare and just a fantastic sight.

Climber John McSporran on top of Stob Mhic Mhartuin in Glencoe. Picture: SWNS

“I’ve never experienced anything like it before. It was just one of those magical moments.”

A Brocken Spectre is created when a person stands above the upper surface of a cloud with the sun behind them.

It causes a massive shadow to appear on the clouds.

The phenomenon has been seen as an explanation for the mysterious Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui.

It takes its name from the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany where it was first identified.