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There are many tricks of light and reflection that can play a big part in fooling our mind into thinking that it sees something that is not there. These illusions can be seen by the naked eye or by the use of a camera. There are many views to what the small white circular shapes that appear in our photographs are. Some say it is light bouncing off dust particles, dust or moisture on the camera lens, moisture in the atmosphere, electrical charge to parts of the sensor etc. I am quite willing to believe that moisture, insects and smudges on the camera lens can have very similar affects but it does not explain all. I find it very difficult to believe that tiny dust particles that cannot be seen by the human eye can be responsible for these Orbs.

My Thoughts 

  • Dust is everywhere we breath it in with every breath.

  • If it is dust why does it only show in some pictures and not others?

  • How can it be seen in photos where the flash has not been used?

  • If it is dust why is it that only one dust particle out of thousands possibly millions reflects back the camera flash.


Written by the Derby Paranormal Society

Since we do not know what orbs truly are, just that they seem to be found mainly in areas where there is ghost activity, I will tell you what they are not. On a normal investigation there are about 10 people using 10 different cameras, 35mm and digital, and many speeds and brands of film. They all get their film developed at separate places. Let's say only half of these investigators get some orb photos. Are these water spots or dirt on the lens? That would mean that 5 people all had similar dirt on their lens and all 5 did not clean their lens either. Are these orbs film processing errors? Well the 35mm cameras all had their film developed in different locations and used different film so that is very unlikely. The digital cameras can't have film-processing errors. I am aware that some people feel that the orbs on a digital camera are an error in the digital processing of the image. When that error does occur in digital photos, the objects tend to be square in nature, not round and they cannot be semi-transparent, the pixel behind would have to be corrupted also. I will not even address the precipitation theory, no legitimate researchers takes photos in any form of precipitation.   What about dust and dirt being stirred up? Can that be the cause of the orbs? If that were the case, I would think that there would not be normal photos in a sequence of photos from the same camera and location.  All of the shots in a sequence should have the dust or dirt in it. We find that most orb photos do not appear in consecutive photos. All photographers present should get orbs if it is dust being stirred up as well.