ORBS!

What the heck are they and are they paranormal?

Kevin McBee

Texas Panhandle Paranormal Investigations

This is probably the biggest question in the Paranormal Community. They are probably the single most item photographed during investigations as a whole. The debate has been raging for a long long time with no definite answer to their realism as spirits, energy or just camera anomalies There are three sides to this actually to this debate. One side says that orbs are only dust, moisture or other environmental pollutants in the air and nothing else. Another theory is that they are the energy of spirits moving about. The third and most cautious, is the thought that the majority of orbs fall into the first category but under certain conditions and circumstances they are real spirits or at least their energy. For one, I do not know for sure and neither does anyone else and so I go for the cautious avenue.

Let’s start with a description of orbs. They are round objects of transparent light normally found in photographs. There seems to be a whole rainbow of colors that they appear as from white, to red, to blue and brown. One of the foremost theories is that the orb is the energy of a spirit or ghost. Just that, the energy! The laws of Physics say that energy like this would take the natural shape of a sphere. Electro-magnetic readings have been noted to spike when orbs are near and thus appear in photos taken at that time. This of course lend credence to the energy theory. Something else to think about with orbs in photographs is that most paranormal investigative teams have protocols established that calls for the photographer to take at least two photos of each subject matter. I know I have taken many many pictures of orbs where they are in one picture and not the other. We have taken photos in areas where you would think there should be orbs and gotten few if any. Our team experimented with this a bit and here is what was found. The first two pictures were taken outside with the wind blowing at 10-15 mph. The pictures were that of Cedar trees in a cemetery. The humidity was at 7% and we expected lots of orbs do to the dry grass and conditions. Well, the two shots produced and huge number of orbs and in different colors. One had more orbs that the other by a considerable amount. Next, another team member actually shuck some branches of one of the tress to see if we would get more. Two more photos were taken and strangely enough only one large orb was captured in one of the photos. None in the other. It should also be said that these pictures were made with a digital camera.

The skeptical side says that dust, moisture and other pollutants in the air cause orbs or the camera itself has a flaw causing the orb like images. Even the processing of 35mm film can cause the effect. Maybe the digital camera is too sensitive and it is magnifying the results of this phenomena. The biggest issue I see with orbs and the skeptical view, is the flash from the camera. This alone floods the area with a ton of bright light . If there is dust, moisture and other pollutants in the air then I can see the effect of "Rainbow" orbs. Rainbow Orbs refer to the multitude of different colored orbs in a picture. Do you remember making rainbows in school by passing a light through a prism? Same effect. Light refraction seems to be the biggest issue as the light from the camera flash reflects off the translucent material of dust or water and creates the effect.

When it comes to the different types of cameras used today, a lot of paranormal investigators really like the digital camera. The ease of point and shoot, no film to be developed and ability to see the picture almost instantly is very attractive. Digital cameras themselves help create and propagate the stigma of orbs. Manufacturers of digital cameras realize this and have given some attention to it as well. They have created filters, software and any number of other techniques to try and reduce the orbs appearing in pictures. Not because of the paranormal community but basically the general public has asked questions about the quality of the imaging that they create. These manufacturers have addressed the issue with instructions and explanations. They all say almost the same words. When the flash activates a dust or moisture particle is much closer to the lens than is the subject. This particle reflects back to the lens and appears much larger and intense than it really is. The closer the lens and flash are to each other it allows the floating particle to to be exposed to more light causing the effect of orbs. They also suggest that you reduce this by illuminating the subject as much as possible and if you use a flash, use an external flash a distance away from the camera. They also say to use the wide angle setting on the camera and not to zoom in. There are other issues known with digital cameras but that is the basics. The 35 mm cameras still have the flash issues but they are not as sensitive to the other computer related digital cameras. Also, you have to be very cautious of the developing and the type and age of your film.

So, how to determine if an ORB is a photographic anomaly or the real thing? I can only give some clues as to when it MAY BE REAL. Some things to look for when reviewing photographic evidence and you have orbs present. Is the orb obscured by another tangible object? Is there movement in more than one orb that is in different directions or speeds? Are they the same in digital and 35 mm photos? I say always be cautious with orb pictures because they may not be what they seem but if you apply the questions above and good judgement you may really have something there.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!