orbs

The photo looks just like thousands of others you can find on the web.

It's most likely out-of-focus dust in the air, lit up by the flash. It's far more usual to hear of it in a ghost hunting context.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4029

From http://www.miqel.com/mysteries_solutions/new_and_old_mysteries.html


This is rather easily disproven. Proof: If you shake out a doormat and then take a photo against a darkish background you will see many hundreds of these 'orbs', their details are 100% the same as the ones on the web. They are simply dust particles and small bits of debris which are floating very close to the flash.

Their appearance varies (depending on the lighting, camera type, distance form camera and type of particle, such as dust, pollen, hair, etc) from opaque white, to rainbow tinted, semi-transparent and sometimes they have 'trails' (caused by smaller fast-moving particles very near the flash) A Lack of understanding general optics and the mechanical aspects of photography causes many people to believe they have photographed something mysterious or supernatural.

Ever examine the air illuminated by a bright sunbeam through your window? Even in calm circumstances there are hundreds of tiny particles of dust, skin, fine fibers and pollen floating thru the air. That they would show up regularly in flash photography is no surprise.


--- Penguin.

Originally posted by Penguin
The photo looks just like thousands of others you can find on the web.

It's most likely out-of-focus dust in the air, lit up by the flash. It's far more usual to hear of it in a ghost hunting context.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4029

From http://www.miqel.com/mysteries_solutions/new_and_old_mysteries.html


This is rather easily disproven. Pr ...[text shortened]... at they would show up regularly in flash photography is no surprise.


--- Penguin.

We took three consequetive pics within less than 30-40 seconds. Only the midddle one had these "orbs" in it.
While I dont discount your explanation, I dont yet agree with it, because I was there.
I will see what the others think about this out -of- focus dust theory.


I am not expecting anyone reach an agreement here.

I am just putting forward what I have witnessed.
These pics must be closely examined.

Yet, even after close examination, i dont think orbs in and of themselves will change anyones mind.
It will be more fodder for the skeptics and believers alike (different kinds of fodder)

Why so much dust in the air in the last 3-4 years? Must be all the pollution 😀

Originally posted by Penguin
Well, I now know your personal email address. I have changed the password on the imageshack account (you could probably get it back but not if I changed the registered email to some other anonymous email address). I can now upload whatever dodgy images I like to an account that, as far as anyone is concerned, belongs to you.

I understand that you don't us ...[text shortened]... email it to you.

I'll comment on the photo later. Must do some work now!

--- Penguin.

Thnx Penguin.

Of course it's obvious. Thats why we have passwords.

I guess its my altruistic nature that makes me think people are by and large good, when it's not necessarily so.

So you think you could pm me my new password for imageshack?

Originally posted by divegeester
So, not a thread about breasts then...

That's it I'm out!! 😠

If only they could fly around and glow in the dark.....:'(

This is what we get when there's not enough intellectual interest in spirituality.

Originally posted by josephw
This is what we get when there's not enough intellectual interest in spirituality.

What about emotional interest? Not enough of that either?

Originally posted by karoly aczel
So you think you could pm me my new password for imageshack?

Done. Don't give out passwords again!

--- Penguin.

Originally posted by Penguin
Done. Don't give out passwords again!

--- Penguin.

Ok, but if you recall, you did ask for it ,albeit in an indirect way, or perhaps I had misinterpretted that post. Either way, its a lesson learnt for me, and whether you asked for it or not, I shouldn't have given it out.

I just wanted someone to look at the pic and give me some feedback,(and hence my enthusiasm to give out my password), which you did, and which I'm grateful for. Thank you.
Thats exactly the sort of common sense explanation(s) that we need to examine these phenomana properly.
Cheeers 🙂

Originally posted by karoly aczel
We took three consequetive pics within less than 30-40 seconds. Only the midddle one had these "orbs" in it.
While I dont discount your explanation, I dont yet agree with it, because I was there.
I will see what the others think about this out -of- focus dust theory.


I am not expecting anyone reach an agreement here.

I am just putting forward ...[text shortened]... of fodder)

Why so much dust in the air in the last 3-4 years? Must be all the pollution 😀

Did you read the skeptoid transcript? It's actually a really good podcast. 15 minutes, once a week, delving into some supernatural phenomena or other.

He did mention these stories of multiple photo's, taken only seconds apart.

The bit that I think is not fully explained in the transcript is the claim by many of these (including yours) that only one shot in a whole set of consecutive shots includes these 'orbs'. I would have thought that if it was caused by dust, consecutive shots would all feature the effect but obviously with orbs in different places because each dust particle is only in front of the lens for a moment. Probably these dust particles are not as common as I am imagining. Some experimentation should make clear what the 'normal' characteristics of these are.

Please post the shots either side of the once with the orbs and provide links. I'd like to have a look.

Personally, with a choice of
1. It's dust just in front of the lense, reflecting light from the flash against a dark background (an effect we know to cause just this kind of phenomenon)
2. It's little green men / spirits from the 'other' side, with an unexplained, untestible effect on photographic film and CCD sensors and that like to hang around parties / old abandoned buildings / other plaes with lots of darkness requiring flash photography.
I'd always go for number 1 as the most likely.

You don't have to just see what others think of the dust theory, you can test it for yourself. Confirm whether you can produce these orbs by shaking a matt, as suggested in the article I quoted. Try to think of scenarios where they could not be caused by dust and then test those.

--- Penguin.

Originally posted by Penguin
Did you read the skeptoid transcript? It's actually a really good podcast. 15 minutes, once a week, delving into some supernatural phenomena or other.

He did mention these stories of multiple photo's, taken only seconds apart.

The bit that I think is not fully explained in the transcript is the claim by many of these (including yours) that only one sho ...[text shortened]... c film and CCD sensors
I'd always go for number 1 as the most likely.

--- Penguin.

Yes, it seems most likely with our collective understanding of unknown matters at the moment.

My point is that I never place too much importance on " unidentified phenmenom" that appears outside my body/mind.

Sometimes its just a reminder to NOT believe outside phenomenom.

I think the answers are invisible and can only be "felt" on the inside.
To turn ones attention to the inside to look for the "truth" rather than "look to the skies" or wherever else outside of oneself.

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Yes, it seems most likely with our collective understanding of unknown matters at the moment.

My point is that I never place too much importance on " unidentified phenmenom" that appears outside my body/mind.

Sometimes its just a reminder to NOT believe outside phenomenom.

I think the answers are invisible and can only be "felt" on the inside. ...[text shortened]... ok for the "truth" rather than "look to the skies" or wherever else outside of oneself.

Can you make the other photo's available? Without them, your assertion that the orbs only appear in one photo is purely anecdote and we can't use it.

I dispute that truth can be found by looking inside ourselves. That is philosophy and it is an interesting and useful topic, but it can only be so when the insights it gives are tested against reality. Our brains and, by extension our minds, have evolved for survival and not for finding truth. This is why we see faces in random patterns. Our minds cannot be trusted on their own.

--- Penguin.

Can you make the other photo's available?

-- Penguin

Originally posted by karoly aczel
A relatively new ufo-related phenomenom, these orb-like spheres show up in pics.
There is no apparent explanation for them, although skeptics will swear black and blue that the pics have been doctored.

Anyway, I had this subject shelved on the, "Hmmm, who knows" list alongside crop circles and certain ufo sighting,etc.

Anyhew, last week , when I ...[text shortened]... ou ask her, I'm sure she'll let you have a look, I'll txt this morning to let her know.

Cold hearted orb that rules the night Removes the colours from our sight Red is
gray and yellow, white But we decide which is right And which is an illusion?

Originally posted by Penguin
Can you make the other photo's available?

-- Penguin

Sure , just give me 24 hours, from when I post this.
You can tell the forum how to navigate there (http:???... 😛 )

I still got no idea... 🙁

Originally posted by ChessPraxis
Cold hearted orb that rules the night Removes the colours from our sight Red is
gray and yellow, white But we decide which is right And which is an illusion?

Yeah WE decide. Thats right.

Problem?