apparition
n.a ghostly image or a sudden, bright flash of light in the sky. It is a word you might hear when someone sees a strange light that disappears quickly.
n.a ghostly image or a sudden, brief appearance of a luminous object in the sky. Often used in astronomical contexts to describe transient phenomena like meteors or atmospheric optical effects.
“The bright apparition in the sky lasted only a few seconds.”
“Astronomers recorded the brief apparition of a comet as it passed close to the planet.”
“The sudden apparition of a luminous cloud over the horizon caused a brief panic among the sailors, who mistook it for a supernatural omen.”
“The novel develops into a kind of horror-thriller, as astronauts marooned on Solaris are stalked by bizarre apparitions.”
From Middle French apparition, from Latin apparitio, from appareo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.