Example of a Super-Naturalistic Orb

The term orb is the popular name given to typically circular annomalies appearing in photographs. In photography and video, orbs appear to be balls, diamonds, or smears of light with an apparent size in the image ranging from a golfball to a basketball. Orbs sometimes appear to be in motion, leaving a trail behind them.

There are two main schools of thought regarding the cause of orbs in photographs. The first school sees it as a fairly clear-cut case of flash reflection off of dust, particles, insects, or moisture droplets in the air in front of the camera, i.e. they are naturalistic. The opposing school maintains that orbs are paranormal in nature, i.e. non-naturalistic and ghost like.

Some people claim that paranormal orbs are more likely to appear in certain locales, or are attracted to human actitivities, especially those involving children. The images on the Internet fora devoted to orbs are taken in graveyards, backyards, attics, and kitchens, living rooms, as well as bars, convention centers, and city streets – in short, anywhere people may be taking photos. Locations in which orbs are frequently observed are often said to be associated with other 'supernatural activity' and haunting taking place.

As orb photos may demonstrably be gained anywhere, the position of "ghost hunters" who claim orb photos are more common in allegedly haunted areas is significantly weakened. That orb photos can be gained anywhere has, however, been adopted into the position of conspiracy theorists who maintain that orbs are probes/devices being used by an alien culture to monitor human activities.

Orb photos have become so common that some ghost hunting organizations are no longer accepting submissions of them, or specifying that only "exceptional" examples be presented.

 Naturalistic orbs

Naturalistic orbs are most commonly gained using digital cameras and built-in flash. While photographers with archives of photos report having occasionally seen "orbs" in their photos gained with film cameras, the recent rise in reports of orb photos may be directly related to the common availability of digital cameras and associated rise in the number of pictures taken.

It should be noted also that the size of the camera is another consideration in the recent proliferation of orb photos. As film cameras, and then digital cameras, have steadily shrunk in size, reports of "orbs" increased accordingly. As cameras became smaller, the distance between the lens and the built-in flash also shrank, decreasing the angle of reflection back into the lens.

There are a number of naturalistic causes for orbs in photography and videography.

• Solid orbs - Dry particulate matter such as dust, pollen, insects, etc.
• Liquid orbs - Droplets of liquid, usually water, e.g. rain.
• Foreign material on the camera lens
• Foreign material within the camera lens
• Foreign material within the camera body

There are also orbs showing up without any "environmental" explanation i.e. no visible dust, no rain, no moisture, no snowing, no light reflections, etc.

Solid orbs

Examples of solid orbs.

Dust orb

Dust orbs

Thick charcoal dust

Charcoal dust floating in the air

How a solid orb is created

A solid orb, or dust orb, is created because a reflective solid airborne particle, such as a dust particle, is situated near the camera lens and outside the depth of field in other words out of focus. The pinpoint of light reflected from the dust particle that would be seen if it were at the hyperfocal distance the distance from the film or charge- device (CCD) to the object being photographed wherby the object is in focus as accurately as possible, grows into a circle of confusion with increasing distance from it.

Liquid orbs

Examples of liquid orbs.

Rain orbs, with the camera zoomed out

Rain orbs, with the camera zoomed in

Rain orbs with coma (tails) and chromatic aberration visible

Close up of an orb, clearly showing chromatic aberration and the cat's eye effect

How a liquid orb is created

A liquid orb is created because a drop of liquid, most often a rain drop, is situated near the camera lens and outside the depth of field, in other words out of focus. The pinpoint of light reflected from the drop of liquid that would be seen if it were at the hyperfocal distance the distance from the film or CCD to the object being photographed whereby the object is in focus as accurately as possible, grows into a circle of confusion with increasing distance from it. The appearance of the circle of confusion is modified by aberrations such as Chromatic aberration or coma

Orbs are usually seen through the lens of a camera.

They are also often caused by water or water spots remaining on the negatives during photo processing. Often times simply cleaning the negative and reprinting the film will eliminate the orbs.

 Non-naturalistic orbs

Spirit orbs are sometimes claimed to exist more densely around certain haunted regions, or to be the spirits of departed loved ones. These types of orbs are sometimes claimed by paranormal enthusiasts to have faces, sometimes with discernible expressions and sometimes of recognizable persons.

Orbs of an allegedly paranormal non-naturalistic origin have only come into knowledge over the past decade or so, due to the advent of the CCD and CMOS lenses used by digital cameras which were the first instance where dust and liquids became as visible due to the instantaneous capture method of the photosensitive diodes used, fueling skeptics claims that they are merely a product of the lens. Further, no orbs have been captured with non-digital cameras.