What are orbs?

By Donna L. Marsh, APS Founder

Orbs are a form of energy of an unknown origin, although they're thought by many paranormal researchers to be basic spirit forms. They are rarely seen with the human eye, but they can be viewed with night- vision equipment and recorded with photographic equipment.

Unfortunately, while orbs can be photographed, they're also the most easily represented by false positives. In other words, there are a lot of things out there that will present orb-like objects in photos. In fact, the majority of the orb photos on the Internet today are incorrectly called so because most folks can't tell the difference between false "orbs" and the real thing.

True spirit orbs are just what the name implies – orbs. They're round and three-dimensional. They have shape and substance, and many contain a "nucleus" of sorts. If the object in the photograph being analyzed is flat, flat on one side or angular, it's more than likely the result of a reflection or lens flare.

When I tell someone their photo only contains reflective "orbs," they usually respond by telling me there was nothing reflective in the vicinity because they didn't see anything shiny when they took the photo. What most folks fail to realize is that a flash will reflect off objects most of us wouldn't normally take notice of, such as bugs, dust, pollen and moisture droplets, just to name a few.

Also, the angle of the light entering your camera can cause a reflection on the camera's own internal mirrors – sort of a rough definition of lens flare.

Because orbs are so easily misunderstood and misrepresented, we at the APS do not post orb photos and do not accept them as the only evidence of a haunting or paranormal event.

If you would like to discuss this issue, please join us in our Yahoo group. All legitimate discussion is welcome.

 

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