A ghost vanishes in plain sight!

So, I was out recently on a sunny winter’s morning walking along a broad pavement when in noticed someone coming the other way.  The sun was low and in my eyes, so I couldn’t make much out about the person. Out of curiosity I watched the figure as I approached but suddenly, they had vanished. I was a bit shocked. The person had definitely been there, as plain as day. Having watched the figure continuously there was nowhere they could have gone. So, a ghost then.

The area where the figure had been was a complex pattern of light and shadows. The pattern was caused by the sun shining through trees and a palisade fence. It was a perfect example of a misperception caused by light and shadows and poor viewing conditions (sun in my eyes). Though misperceptions are usually caused by solid objects they can sometimes occur just through patterns of light. This example was also interesting because the figure was apparently moving when most misperceptions are stationary. The movement was caused by me walking along so the pattern of light and shadow kept changing too.

Such patterns of light and shadow are frequently the cause of peripheral vision ghost sightings (see here for more on these and shadow ghosts). A figure appears in peripheral vision but when the witness turns to face it, the apparition has gone.