Portal to another dimension? Rare type of halo rainbow seen over Hawaii volcanic park

An eerie trick of light resembling a time travel portal — or a worm hole — was photographed atop a volcanic park in Hawaii.

The rare type of rainbow was seen at Haleakala National Park, an otherworldly 30,000-acre site known for its brilliant sunsets and “Mars-like red deserts.”

“Here at Haleakala we have the perfect conditions for you to see many different rainbows,” park officials said on Facebook on Saturday. “Check out this circular rainbow known as a Brocken spectre, which causes a rainbow halo to form around your shadow.”

A photo shared by the park shows a brilliant halo on the horizon, settled over the tip of the photographer’s shadow.

Brocken spectres are a combination of optical effects involving halo rainbows (glories), exaggerated shadows and fog (or mist), experts say.

They are most likely in high places — where elongated shadows are more common — and “these unnerving shapes coupled with glories fueled superstitions for centuries,” according to the National Weather Service. Haleakala has a 10,023-foot summit, making it a perfect place to see the effect.

“When you cast your shadow down into clouds or fog, the light exaggerates your figure,” the weather service says. “You seem much larger and longer-limbed, and you may appear to be moving because of movement in the water droplets.”

The spectres are created when the sun is at the viewer’s back and resemble “a shadowy figure” in the mist, according to EarthSky. “At times, your shadow in a Brocken spectre will appear enormous, but this is an optical illusion.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 10:21 AM with the headline "Portal to another dimension? Rare type of halo rainbow seen over Hawaii volcanic park."