Orb (paranormal)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term orb is the popular name given to typically circular anomalies appearing in photographs. In Spanish language they're commonly referred as canoplas. In photography and video, orbs appear to be balls, diamonds, or smears of light with an apparent size in the image ranging from a golfball to a basketball. Orbs sometimes appear to be in motion, leaving a trail behind them.
There are two main schools of thought regarding the cause of orbs in photographs. The first school sees it as a fairly clear-cut case of flash reflection off of dust, particles, insects, or moisture droplets in the air in front of the camera, i.e. they are naturalistic. The opposing school maintains that orbs are paranormal in nature, i.e. non-naturalistic and ghost like.
Some people claim that paranormal orbs are more likely to appear in certain locales, or are attracted to human actitivities, especially those involving children. The images on the Internet fora devoted to orbs are taken in graveyards, backyards, attics, and kitchens, living rooms, as well as bars, convention centers, and city streets – in short, anywhere people may be taking photos.
As orb photos may demonstrably be gained anywhere, the position of "ghost hunters" who claim orb photos are more common in allegedly haunted areas is significantly weakened. That orb photos can be gained anywhere has, however, been adopted into the position of conspiracy theorists who maintain that orbs are probes/devices being used by an alien culture to monitor human activities.
Orb photos have become so common that some ghost hunting organizations are no longer accepting submissions of them, or specifying that only "exceptional" examples be presented.
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[edit] Naturalistic orbs
Naturalistic orbs are most commonly gained using digital cameras and built-in flash. While photographers with archives of photos report having occasionally seen "orbs" in their photos gained with film cameras, the recent rise in reports of orb photos may be directly related to the common availability of digital cameras and associated rise in the number of pictures taken.
It should be noted also that the size of the camera is another consideration in the recent proliferation of orb photos. As film cameras, and then digital cameras, have steadily shrunk in size, reports of "orbs" increased accordingly. As cameras became smaller, the distance between the lens and the built-in flash also shrank, decreasing the angle of reflection back into the lens.
There are a number of naturalistic causes for orbs in photography and videography.
- Solid orbs - Dry particulate matter such as dust, pollen, insects, etc.
- Liquid orbs - Droplets of liquid, usually water, e.g. rain.
- Foreign material on the camera lens
- Foreign material within the camera lens
- Foreign material within the camera body
There are also orbs showing up without any "environmental" explanation i.e. no visible dust, no rain, no moisture, no snowing, no light reflections, etc.
[edit] Solid orbs
Examples of solid orbs.
 Dust orb |
 Dust orbs |
 Thick charcoal dust |
 Charcoal dust floating in the air |
[edit] How a solid orb is created
A solid orb, or dust orb, is created because a reflective solid airborne particle, such as a dust particle, is situated near the camera lens and outside the depth of field, in other words out of focus. The pinpoint of light reflected from the dust particle that would be seen if it were at the hyperfocal distance, the distance from the film or charge-coupled device (CCD) to the object being photographed wherby the object is in focus as accurately as possible, grows into a circle of confusion with increasing distance from it.
[edit] Liquid orbs
Examples of liquid orbs.
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[edit] How a liquid orb is created
A liquid orb is created because a drop of liquid, most often a rain drop, is situated near the camera lens and outside the depth of field, in other words out of focus. The pinpoint of light reflected from the drop of liquid that would be seen if it were at the hyperfocal distance, the distance from the film or CCD to the object being photographed whereby the object is in focus as accurately as possible, grows into a circle of confusion with increasing distance from it. The appearance of the circle of confusion is modified by aberrations such as chromatic aberration or coma.
Orbs are usually seen through the lens of a camera.
They are also often caused by water or water spots remaining on the negatives during photo processing. Often times simply cleaning the negative and reprinting the film will eliminate the orbs.
[edit] Non-naturalistic orbs
Spirit orbs are sometimes claimed to exist more densely around certain haunted regions, or to be the spirits of departed loved ones. These types of orbs are sometimes claimed by paranormal enthusiasts to have faces, sometimes with discernible expressions and sometimes of recognizable persons[citation needed].
Orbs of an allegedly paranormal non-naturalistic origin have only come into knowledge over the past decade or so, due to the advent of the CCD and CMOS lenses used by digital cameras which were the first instance where dust and liquids became as visible due to the instantaneous capture method of the photosensitive diodes used, fueling skeptics claims that they are merely a product of the lens. Further, no orbs have been captured with non-digital cameras[citation needed].
[edit] External links
- ORBS: What Is Going On? The Prophet's Conference, May 2007, Sedona, with presentations by PhD material scientists, Dr. William Tiller and Dr. Klaus Heinemann.
- ASSAP ASSAP's website has several pages showing how various different 'types' of orb (coloured, oddly-shaped, bright, transparent, etc.) can readily be reproduced (includes diagrams and photos).
- Science of Orb Photos A scientific article on orb photos. A mathematical framework is given using holography theory.
- A skeptical view of Orbs
- Orbs - A Skeptical Approach
