Orbs

Today I got an email from one of our readers that got my thoughts going. Our reader asked a good question that I've been asked several times, but that I've never addressed:

These are the pictures attached in the email. All are from our blog, and the orbs in question have been circled:

To answer Ryleigh's question, I asked the members of the club to give their own personal opinions. I didn't want to answer for us as a whole because we all think different things, so these are our own personal thoughts on orbs:

Rachel

I honestly put no belief into orbs. I started out as a non-believer before the club came about, and one of the things I always disliked about paranormal evidence was people putting stock into orbs. While I suppose there is the possibility an orb could be paranormal, or whatever, I really don't hold faith with them. The only significant orbs I'll take a second look at are singular orbs in an entire picture. If there is not another single orb in the frame besides the one, I'll take a second look. And even then, it could easily be nothing.

Most of the time, orbs are reflections off of dust particles in the air. There are more explanations to what causes orbs besides dust, like human hair, or reflections off of surfaces, but for the most part, and especially with our investigations, orbs are just dust. In the first and second picture, I can see why it's assumed those are paranormal entities. Both look to have shapes inside the orbs, and many assume that means that it's paranormal right away. Even now as I look at them again, I see why they were significant in the pictures. All three are the same shade of a bluish green with gold on the outside, and they all have shapes in them.

This is very typical of dust and mold spore particles. They have a certain hue to them, and many times in dust orbs, people can make out images inside of them. You have to stop and think about where you got the dust orb from, however. Two of the three were taken in Richardson Auditorium, one of the dustiest places I have ever ventured into. When I went back and looked at the pictures on the blog, I found the ones they belonged to, and there are dozens of dust particles in the picture. The last one was taken in a cemetery, and you can see the dust on the ground around the statue. That orb could easily have been dust, a bug, a particle, an anything. While they're interesting, I don't think these orbs are anything significant.

Jenn

Most orbs are dust particles floating around, especially in pictures where there are a lot of orbs. If the orb in question is very bright or if it has a trail then it could be real, but most are just dust or moisture particles.

Becca

I agree with Jenn. Most stuff in pictures and such, especially if you don't have proper equipment, is sketchy to begin with because the camera could be picking up dust particles or there is something on the lens. I believe in Orbs, but I don't think camera evidence is the best way to prove its an orb.