ORBS! Are They Ghosts?
ORBS. IN. PICTURES. ARE. [PROBABLY]. NOT. PARANORMAL.
Example #1: Photos taken of me at a #haunted location (not during an investigation)…Not a ghost. Orbs can appear different in pics, but they all sort of have this basic appearance.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Just needed to put that out there. I think one of my biggest issues with some paranormal investigators (and paranormal buffs), is that they snap tons of pictures and always seem to catch orbs as “evidence”. I shouldn’t get as upset as I do, but there is a reason that people don’t take paranormal investigators seriously, and this is part of it. I see people share photos all the time that are clearly not paranormal, and then other people begin to share their own opinions, which then brings a bunch of arguing and debating. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a very good chance that it is dust or a film anomaly. When you use the flash (which as investigators we are almost always in the dark), the light from the flash can reflect off the dust particles which creates the orbs in the photos. It’s probably not the lady in white or a ghost child haunting your house. I can’t tell you how much it makes me want to scream when people share this as evidence, or within the community asking “wat do you see?” or “im haunted guys”. That ain’t it, sis.
Here’s some good information I couldn’t even try to sum up for you:
What Is An Orb.... Really?
“According to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena.- “Digital cameras have lenses with a much greater depth of field than film cameras. This means that the nearest point to the camera that is in focus is a lot closer. It also brings the ‘just out of focus’ area (‘orb zone’) closer as well. The ‘orb zone’ is so close that it is intensely illuminated by the flash. The intensity of the flash increases according to an inverse square law with decreasing distance. Indeed, if the subject of your photograph is at a distance of 5m, a particle of dust at 5cm from the camera receives approximately 10,000 times greater light intensity! This creates an ‘orb zone’ in digital cameras where the light intensity is sufficient to illuminate the faint out-of-focus bits of dust, which appear as circles of confusion (or ‘orbs’).”
So, basically you’re probably capturing dust or the occasional bug. Even after all that ranting, I do believe that there are cases where an orb CAN be paranormal, especially when it goes hand in hand with other evidence. I just think that most of the time people are looking for something. Whether they want to feel special or they enjoy being scared, thinking they have captured paranormal evidence gives them some sort of answers…which we all want.
Orbs on Video
What about when you capture something on video? In my experience, this tends to be a little bit more accurate, though there is still the possibility of bugs or dust flittering about in the night vision! I’m going to share a video from a Code 3 Paranormal Investigation. You can see an orb actively going around a doorway. There are plenty of examples of dust & bugs caught on film all over the internet! Looking at this video that my team caught the anomaly seems to have a movement which isn’t “floaty” or just slowly hovering around the camera. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think! I’m also sharing a photo that was taken (not on an investigation) and though this location is actually haunted, these are NOT ghosts hanging out in the photos!
Example #2: Here is the video that was caught at the Genoa Wonder Tower (One of the coolest places EVER!!). I believe this to be paranormal, due to the way it moves and the way it correlates with other happenings of the night.
Thoughts?
I’m still kind of new at all this, so if this sounds like word vomit…well it’s word vomit with some good information in it. If there’s anything anyone wants me to discuss, please let me know!
Xoxo
