A shocked hiker captured spooky images of what appeared to be a ghostly figure surrounded by a rainbow halo.<\/p>\n
Thomas Swallow was hiking in the Lake District when he noticed a strange \"spiritual\" optical illusion.<\/p>\n
Mr Swallow managed to capture on his phone the incredible natural optical illusion known as a broken spectre.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:Woman screams 'your face has been slashed' as man left city centre venue<\/p>\n
Mr Swallow, from Manchester, was approaching the end of a 40 mile hike when he climbed over 900m to the summit of the Great End to see the view.<\/p>\n
At the top he saw the vision which is actually a rare weather phenomenon.<\/p>\n
The colourful apparition is created when a large shadow of an observer is cast onto cloud or mist.<\/p>\n
If the sun is shining behind the observer it projects their shadows through the mist.<\/p>\n
Since sharing the images online, Mr Swallow's friends and family have said it looks like he captured a spirit floating away into the sky.<\/p>\n
Mr Swallow, 39, said: \"I was taken aback a little bit. It's really beautiful. It looks like a figure floating into the sky, it looks quite spiritual.<\/p>\n
\"I was on the summit of a peak called Great End at around lunchtime. It was weird, surreal and a really beautiful moment.<\/p>\n
\"I was looking down a gully from the summit, the sun was behind me and shining bright.<\/p>\n
\"It was a cloudy day so the clouds were moving in and out of the summit.<\/p>\n
\"I could see moisture particles in the air when I looked up and I saw my shadow in the middle of a rainbow.<\/p>\n
\"I was in the moment and enjoying it thinking I've never seen anything like this before.<\/p>\n
\"People have said what an amazing and beautiful shot it is and that it looks like a figure floating to the sky.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not religious but I'm a bit spiritual and I didn't think how spiritual it was until I thought about it afterwards.\"<\/p>\n
After spotting the incredible illusion, Mr Swallow continued his six-hour walk with friends Adam Maxwell, 27, and Mathew Bick, 39, who couldn't believe what they'd seen.<\/p>\n
Mr Swallow said: \"I shouted to my two friends but they didn't hear so I stood on my own taking pictures.<\/p>\n
\"They eventually came over and they were amazed as well. It was a really good moment.<\/p>\n
\"We stood there watching it for 10 to 15 minutes. I'm glad I had my phone on me to take a lot of photos.\"<\/p>\n
Despite being a regular walker in the Lake District, Mr Swallow said he'd never seen the phenomenon before due to there not being the right weather conditions.<\/p>\n
He said: \"They're quite a rare occurrence, the weather has to be perfect.<\/p>\n
\"I walk as much as possible and always take pictures. I walk in the Lake District once a month and I've been to Europe and South America hiking so it's a real passion but I've never seen anything like this before.<\/p>\n
\"Something just happened that day with the weather to make those conditions.\"<\/p>\n
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Hiker spots spooky 'spiritual' illusion in the clouds - Liverpool Echo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A shocked hiker captured spooky images of what appeared to be a ghostly figure surrounded by a rainbow halo. Thomas Swallow was hiking in the Lake District when he noticed a strange \"spiritual\" optical illusion Continue reading