A man walking his dog around Dovestone Reservoir couldn't believe his eyes when he stumbled across an incredibly rare phenomenon that is told in poems and legends - eerily close to Halloween.

At around 9.20am on Sunday (October 27), a man who only gave his name as Duncan said he was out walking his dog when he decided to go up to The Trinnacle at Dovestone Reservoir to take in the breathtaking views on what was a cold and dry morning.

Duncan started filming the clouds rolling in over the valley and at first appeared to have captured a rainbow.

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However, he got far more than he bargained for as he realised he was witnessing a Brocken spectre, a rare weather phenomenon where a 'ghostly figure' appears surrounded by a halo-like ring of rainbow-coloured light.

Incredibly, Duncan captured the moment on video which shows a faint shadowy figure in the centre of bright, beaming lights in the reservoir.

While the rare optic sight is associated with the stuff of legends, with many poets and authors over the years pondering over the marvel, from Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Charles Dickens to Lewis Carroll, the Met Office explains there is a science to its creation.

A Brocken spectre is often seen on misty mountainsides on cloud banks and is created when a person stands on a hill enveloped in mist and in a specific position with the sun behind them.

The sun creates a shadow which is then "thrown" onto the mist below, creating an illusion of a gigantic 'ghostly' and shadowy figure which appears to move as the clouds and light shift.

Reacting to the sight, Duncan said: "I've never seen one in person, only pictures on social media.

"It was much clearer to the naked eye.

"When I realised, I was rubbing my eyes."

Indeed, to see the spectre is a rare sight - let alone so close to Halloween when Oldham is bracing itself for plenty of ghostly goings on.

Duncan captured the northern lights at NewheyDuncan captured the northern lights at Newhey (Image: Duncan)

Duncan has also captured impressive photographs of the northern lights in Newhey.

He added: "The northern lights were really good and I'm glad we got to see them both times, but Brocken spectres are really rare."

The term 'Brocken spectre' was coined in 1780 by Johann Silberschlag having drawn its name from the Brocken, the highest peak of the Harz Mountains in Germany which is known for its fogs, low-altitude and of course this bizarre phenomenon. 

Have you ever seen anything like this? Let me know by emailing me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk