Orb Theories (2002 - 2009)
You will see in the following how theories change
as more research is done - and the research continues.
as more research is done - and the research continues.
ORBS - WHAT ARE THEY?
A personal investigators opinion. (2002/2003)
(this article was featured on Coast to Coast AM as well as Weekly Universe Magazine based in California)
(side note - this article was written before we did more research, read orbs part 2 and 3 for more information)
So why is there an influx of orb photos - and what are they? That seems to be the ultimate question that is asked of paranormal investigators today. Even look around on the web - including our page - and you will see orb photos galore.
Most are caught on digital cameras. Seeing as this is the most popular way to take pictures, and almost every household owns one, lots of people are capturing odd orbs in photos. This would explain the increase in the numbers.
Myth or Facts?
Some skeptics have their theories:
1. Its just pixel distortions in the electronics of the cameras. This could be very well true - if almost every picture that is taken with the camera contains orbs. The suggestion here is to get it fixed or purchase a new one.
2. Other skeptics state that it could be reflections off of dust particles that are floating in a room, or lets say if you have a moth flying around or some other insect.
3. Others state its just someone shining a flashlight into the camera.
BUT...
1. If one only captures orbs once in a while - and only in one location (especially in one room of an entire house), why is this? Can a camera take distorted pictures randomly? Possible. But as in our investigation with the featured house, only the orbs appeared mainly in ONE room. The only other room they appeared - and only once - was in another room almost adjacent, but we took pictures throughout the whole house every visit - and only that room had the activity. Also, with pixel distortions in digital cameras (and I have seen them) - you CANNOT see through the 'orbs', nor can you see actual faces in them.
2.. Okay - another possibility, but as with above- why only one room? If you have dust particles flying or floating around in a room - you would imagine a photo would be almost white with the reflection coming off of all of them. So if this is the truth - then why only capture one or a few in a photo? There are a couple on our website that have many in one - so you would figure that every photo taken one after the other without any changes in the room, lighting or position of the photographer would have the same effects. And as far as the insect theory, another possibility - but that would be found out after taking the picture by seeing the insect in question buzzing around. Also, if you take a picture of an insect and the light does happen to reflect off of it - its not a perfect orb and does not have the layers that some of them have. Not only that, but I think most people are smart enough to know an insect when they see one.
3. Yes - some people do try to fake photos by trying this (or with a candle in a dark room). With the flashlight method, the glare on the camera is intense , and it looks like it does if you try this with any ordinary camera - and looks fake. With the candle method - you can see the glow of the flame in the middle - and any software program can enlarge it to show its a fake. And what about software programs faking photos? Yep - its done all the time. But unless you are a master and fakery, even an amateur can take that photo and go into their own program and find out where its been doctored.
VIDEOS
Now - my question - Videos. How would they explain that? I can see the insect theory working here. But as I had just stated, I think most people can discern between an insect and something unusual. Myself I had an orb fly right up to me, saw it through the screen on the camera - and when I looked up, no insect.
Again, dust - in my opinion no. In videos the same thing would happen, there would be so many reflection off all you would see is a sea of white. And it is hard to have pixel distortion on a video camera - for all taken with it would have same problems.
Fakery - definitely - but as before - unless you are a master at film making and fakery - an amateur can usually pick it apart within an hour and find out its a fake.
Now my experience with the videos we have taken, it is my belief (and the belief of our investigators as well as established other teams around the world), that this is something more. The ones we have captured don't float - but more 'dance' around, and have witnessed when talking to them - they come forward to the person speaking (or concentrating). A rock doesn't come to you when you speak to it - nor does it have any reaction, neither does steel or the like. Only things with a conscious or life energy seem to have a reaction when communication is involved.
WHAT OTHERS BELIEVE
Guides/Angels
I have heard a world famous psychic and one that I respect (and believe me I can count the ones I do on one hand) - states she believes they are "guides" or "guardian angels". After witnessing one hover over my 14 year old niece one night in the main investigations house, then seeing it disappear behind her, I think that is not only a lovely thought, but possibly could be true.
In the same house, the Wife sat down and concentrated and a picture was taken. Beside her head a huge orb appeared, and this investigator had a vision of the woman's grandfather. So could these be spirits or visitations - messages from deceased loved ones? Absolutely possible. This could also go with the angel/guide theory - for most people do think that our loved ones who have passed, do come back to check up on us once in a while when needed.
Aliens?
I have heard another theory stating that its aliens. Not that I don't believe that there are other life forms in the universe and that we possibly could be monitored, but why would there be so many 'aliens' in this house? Now I know for a fact the inhabitants of this house ARE NOT ALIENS (although as with most kids, theirs would beg to differ, especially with all the duct tape everywhere :) ). And they do not have any political connections - they are a nice older couple who are retired and are grandparents. So in my opinion , I have to say this is one I don't really believe.
In Conclusion...
So what are they? In my opinion - they are some type of 'consciousness'. Now what kind - guides, angels, dearly departed? No one really knows, and our investigations into the matter continue. And why does this one house in this one room have such activity with orbs, plasma and now apparitions? My theory is there could possibly be a portal on that piece of land on that one spot, and truly - the theory of parted loved ones watching over cannot be disputed either.
And why so many photos/videos? Because they have always been there. Others believe that there are more than one dimension in our world. That in fact while you are reading this, that around you there could be from between 5 to infinity of them. And in these different dimensions, other consciousness 'live' and once in a while cross over to ours and communicate - or stumble in by accident. They have always been, and its not until now that we haven't had the technology in so many peoples hands to capture them. Just think as technology grows, and becomes less inexpensive - what other amazing paranormal activity we will capture? And who knows, maybe they are trying to tell us something - about ourselves, about the world around us, about our future as a planet.
Its always good to ask questions and to go into these investigations with a calm, logical mind. But after factoring out all the above as well as the humidity, electricity, lighting factors throughout the whole house, our conclusion is this is a site of true paranormal activity.
And the research continues...
A personal investigators opinion. (2002/2003)
(this article was featured on Coast to Coast AM as well as Weekly Universe Magazine based in California)
(side note - this article was written before we did more research, read orbs part 2 and 3 for more information)
So why is there an influx of orb photos - and what are they? That seems to be the ultimate question that is asked of paranormal investigators today. Even look around on the web - including our page - and you will see orb photos galore.
Most are caught on digital cameras. Seeing as this is the most popular way to take pictures, and almost every household owns one, lots of people are capturing odd orbs in photos. This would explain the increase in the numbers.
Myth or Facts?
Some skeptics have their theories:
1. Its just pixel distortions in the electronics of the cameras. This could be very well true - if almost every picture that is taken with the camera contains orbs. The suggestion here is to get it fixed or purchase a new one.
2. Other skeptics state that it could be reflections off of dust particles that are floating in a room, or lets say if you have a moth flying around or some other insect.
3. Others state its just someone shining a flashlight into the camera.
BUT...
1. If one only captures orbs once in a while - and only in one location (especially in one room of an entire house), why is this? Can a camera take distorted pictures randomly? Possible. But as in our investigation with the featured house, only the orbs appeared mainly in ONE room. The only other room they appeared - and only once - was in another room almost adjacent, but we took pictures throughout the whole house every visit - and only that room had the activity. Also, with pixel distortions in digital cameras (and I have seen them) - you CANNOT see through the 'orbs', nor can you see actual faces in them.
2.. Okay - another possibility, but as with above- why only one room? If you have dust particles flying or floating around in a room - you would imagine a photo would be almost white with the reflection coming off of all of them. So if this is the truth - then why only capture one or a few in a photo? There are a couple on our website that have many in one - so you would figure that every photo taken one after the other without any changes in the room, lighting or position of the photographer would have the same effects. And as far as the insect theory, another possibility - but that would be found out after taking the picture by seeing the insect in question buzzing around. Also, if you take a picture of an insect and the light does happen to reflect off of it - its not a perfect orb and does not have the layers that some of them have. Not only that, but I think most people are smart enough to know an insect when they see one.
3. Yes - some people do try to fake photos by trying this (or with a candle in a dark room). With the flashlight method, the glare on the camera is intense , and it looks like it does if you try this with any ordinary camera - and looks fake. With the candle method - you can see the glow of the flame in the middle - and any software program can enlarge it to show its a fake. And what about software programs faking photos? Yep - its done all the time. But unless you are a master and fakery, even an amateur can take that photo and go into their own program and find out where its been doctored.
VIDEOS
Now - my question - Videos. How would they explain that? I can see the insect theory working here. But as I had just stated, I think most people can discern between an insect and something unusual. Myself I had an orb fly right up to me, saw it through the screen on the camera - and when I looked up, no insect.
Again, dust - in my opinion no. In videos the same thing would happen, there would be so many reflection off all you would see is a sea of white. And it is hard to have pixel distortion on a video camera - for all taken with it would have same problems.
Fakery - definitely - but as before - unless you are a master at film making and fakery - an amateur can usually pick it apart within an hour and find out its a fake.
Now my experience with the videos we have taken, it is my belief (and the belief of our investigators as well as established other teams around the world), that this is something more. The ones we have captured don't float - but more 'dance' around, and have witnessed when talking to them - they come forward to the person speaking (or concentrating). A rock doesn't come to you when you speak to it - nor does it have any reaction, neither does steel or the like. Only things with a conscious or life energy seem to have a reaction when communication is involved.
WHAT OTHERS BELIEVE
Guides/Angels
I have heard a world famous psychic and one that I respect (and believe me I can count the ones I do on one hand) - states she believes they are "guides" or "guardian angels". After witnessing one hover over my 14 year old niece one night in the main investigations house, then seeing it disappear behind her, I think that is not only a lovely thought, but possibly could be true.
In the same house, the Wife sat down and concentrated and a picture was taken. Beside her head a huge orb appeared, and this investigator had a vision of the woman's grandfather. So could these be spirits or visitations - messages from deceased loved ones? Absolutely possible. This could also go with the angel/guide theory - for most people do think that our loved ones who have passed, do come back to check up on us once in a while when needed.
Aliens?
I have heard another theory stating that its aliens. Not that I don't believe that there are other life forms in the universe and that we possibly could be monitored, but why would there be so many 'aliens' in this house? Now I know for a fact the inhabitants of this house ARE NOT ALIENS (although as with most kids, theirs would beg to differ, especially with all the duct tape everywhere :) ). And they do not have any political connections - they are a nice older couple who are retired and are grandparents. So in my opinion , I have to say this is one I don't really believe.
In Conclusion...
So what are they? In my opinion - they are some type of 'consciousness'. Now what kind - guides, angels, dearly departed? No one really knows, and our investigations into the matter continue. And why does this one house in this one room have such activity with orbs, plasma and now apparitions? My theory is there could possibly be a portal on that piece of land on that one spot, and truly - the theory of parted loved ones watching over cannot be disputed either.
And why so many photos/videos? Because they have always been there. Others believe that there are more than one dimension in our world. That in fact while you are reading this, that around you there could be from between 5 to infinity of them. And in these different dimensions, other consciousness 'live' and once in a while cross over to ours and communicate - or stumble in by accident. They have always been, and its not until now that we haven't had the technology in so many peoples hands to capture them. Just think as technology grows, and becomes less inexpensive - what other amazing paranormal activity we will capture? And who knows, maybe they are trying to tell us something - about ourselves, about the world around us, about our future as a planet.
Its always good to ask questions and to go into these investigations with a calm, logical mind. But after factoring out all the above as well as the humidity, electricity, lighting factors throughout the whole house, our conclusion is this is a site of true paranormal activity.
And the research continues...
ORBS PART 2
What are understanding has become since our last article. (2006/2007)
I wrote an article 2 years ago about orbs, and now my understanding of what they might be has leaned towards a certain theory.
Now before I go into this theory, I must rule out what might be true 'orbs' from ghost lights, and natural or technical occurring misconceptions. Ghost lights are usually confused with orbs. A ghost light is a light you can see with the naked eye. An orb is an anomaly that is captured either by film or a video camera. Most seem to be captured on digital cameras, which can be very misleading. Most of the orb photos submitted to us have been taken by digital cameras. Unfortunately a lot of these photos have the characteristics of dust particles and humidity particles. Some, are even a dot of dust on the lens itself.
Here is a great example from one of our investigations.
Here you can see what are 'dust orbs' - the ones you can see through that there seems to be a sea of them. But closer to the light bulb, there is a different orb. here is the close-up:
Now these have a different characteristic to the dust orbs. They have consistency, and the one right underneath the light bulb seems to be in motion.
Here are two other great examples of what might be considered orbs. The first one from one of our investigations, the second, submitted by one of our readers (you can find more photos on the submissions page under photos)
The one on the left, is one in motion, leaving a trail. The second one also seems to be in motion. When we enhanced both, this is what we got:
You can see they both have again, consistency about them. It is believed that true orbs are made from energies. The misleading orbs, again come from dust particles, humidity, pixel distortions, or even from bugs.
Now what do we think orbs might actually be? Well, unfortunately I don't think anyone will ever truly prove what true orbs, these balls of energy and light are. But here is my theory. I have heard on popular TV shows that orbs are the indication, a beginning you will of a ghostly activity. We have been to homes, where there are no other indications of other possible activity, nor a history that would explain 'ghost' activity.
Now a ghost is an entity that is 'trapped' on earth. Reasons for this can be because they don't know they are dead, they loved the place so much, the don't want to leave, or because they cannot get over something horrible that happened. Another theory is some, who might be very religious, are scared to cross over for they are scared of what might be waiting for them on the other side. They are basically 'bound' to the place, land, or even an object.
I have two theories. The first one is could these be spirits? Now a spirit is an entity that has passed over, but has the ability to come back. Something that can travel between dimensions, heaven, the other side, where ever we go after we pass. We couldn't understand why there were so many orbs caught in her home, on camera and video camera (you can see one of the videos in our video/investigation section). In this home we went too, we had the lady sit down and concentrate on an image. I took a few pictures of her, and right beside her head, was a basketball sized orb, bright and in flight. I asked her what she was thinking of, she said her father who passed. We stayed at her place overnight, and when she went to bed, the activity seemed to 'slow down' a bit, but when she was up, that's when we caught the best and brightest orbs on camera. A curious side note, these orbs appeared brightest in her home when her or her husband were going through major health problems (last one appeared before she was rushed to the hospital). The husband was also very close to her father, was like a second son to him - and even lived in the home at one point. But he didn't pass there, he passed in BC.
Another curious point to this story, around the same time the orbs showed up, the lady of the home found out that her father may have lied about his name, and that her maiden name might not be what it was thought to be (it is thought the first world war he lied about his age and name so he could enlist). This upset her, and many family members. But it upset her more because she loved her father. Could this be his spirit coming around to tell her he is sorry, that he is trying to give her some comfort? Personally, and not on an investigative vein, I like to think so.
Other places we have investigated, has had no history of ghost, poltergeist or other activity, but orbs were caught on camera and video camera.
I have heard other self proclaimed experts say that these are aliens. As I stated in my first article, I find this outrageous. Taking the account above, there is no reason for aliens to be visiting this couple. They are in their a wonderful retired couple in their 70's, they live out in the country, and they lead a regular life. Logic would state that if aliens are truly going to visit us, with all the problems in the world today, they would go visit the Prime Minister, the President, or someone in power. Even though I have the utmost respect for this couple, and think of them very highly, again, there is no reason for aliens to visit them.
My other theory is, could this be energies we are projecting? Could we be capable of projecting our energies outwards, that cause this anomaly? I am hoping as our investigations proceed, that we zero in more on a substantial theory.
We have to keep an open mind when it comes to finding out about true orbs. But on the same vein, we have to be logical and somewhat scientific. Once all the natural and equipment explanations have been ruled out, then we can hopefully find out what these might be.
What are understanding has become since our last article. (2006/2007)
I wrote an article 2 years ago about orbs, and now my understanding of what they might be has leaned towards a certain theory.
Now before I go into this theory, I must rule out what might be true 'orbs' from ghost lights, and natural or technical occurring misconceptions. Ghost lights are usually confused with orbs. A ghost light is a light you can see with the naked eye. An orb is an anomaly that is captured either by film or a video camera. Most seem to be captured on digital cameras, which can be very misleading. Most of the orb photos submitted to us have been taken by digital cameras. Unfortunately a lot of these photos have the characteristics of dust particles and humidity particles. Some, are even a dot of dust on the lens itself.
Here is a great example from one of our investigations.
Here you can see what are 'dust orbs' - the ones you can see through that there seems to be a sea of them. But closer to the light bulb, there is a different orb. here is the close-up:
Now these have a different characteristic to the dust orbs. They have consistency, and the one right underneath the light bulb seems to be in motion.
Here are two other great examples of what might be considered orbs. The first one from one of our investigations, the second, submitted by one of our readers (you can find more photos on the submissions page under photos)
The one on the left, is one in motion, leaving a trail. The second one also seems to be in motion. When we enhanced both, this is what we got:
You can see they both have again, consistency about them. It is believed that true orbs are made from energies. The misleading orbs, again come from dust particles, humidity, pixel distortions, or even from bugs.
Now what do we think orbs might actually be? Well, unfortunately I don't think anyone will ever truly prove what true orbs, these balls of energy and light are. But here is my theory. I have heard on popular TV shows that orbs are the indication, a beginning you will of a ghostly activity. We have been to homes, where there are no other indications of other possible activity, nor a history that would explain 'ghost' activity.
Now a ghost is an entity that is 'trapped' on earth. Reasons for this can be because they don't know they are dead, they loved the place so much, the don't want to leave, or because they cannot get over something horrible that happened. Another theory is some, who might be very religious, are scared to cross over for they are scared of what might be waiting for them on the other side. They are basically 'bound' to the place, land, or even an object.
I have two theories. The first one is could these be spirits? Now a spirit is an entity that has passed over, but has the ability to come back. Something that can travel between dimensions, heaven, the other side, where ever we go after we pass. We couldn't understand why there were so many orbs caught in her home, on camera and video camera (you can see one of the videos in our video/investigation section). In this home we went too, we had the lady sit down and concentrate on an image. I took a few pictures of her, and right beside her head, was a basketball sized orb, bright and in flight. I asked her what she was thinking of, she said her father who passed. We stayed at her place overnight, and when she went to bed, the activity seemed to 'slow down' a bit, but when she was up, that's when we caught the best and brightest orbs on camera. A curious side note, these orbs appeared brightest in her home when her or her husband were going through major health problems (last one appeared before she was rushed to the hospital). The husband was also very close to her father, was like a second son to him - and even lived in the home at one point. But he didn't pass there, he passed in BC.
Another curious point to this story, around the same time the orbs showed up, the lady of the home found out that her father may have lied about his name, and that her maiden name might not be what it was thought to be (it is thought the first world war he lied about his age and name so he could enlist). This upset her, and many family members. But it upset her more because she loved her father. Could this be his spirit coming around to tell her he is sorry, that he is trying to give her some comfort? Personally, and not on an investigative vein, I like to think so.
Other places we have investigated, has had no history of ghost, poltergeist or other activity, but orbs were caught on camera and video camera.
I have heard other self proclaimed experts say that these are aliens. As I stated in my first article, I find this outrageous. Taking the account above, there is no reason for aliens to be visiting this couple. They are in their a wonderful retired couple in their 70's, they live out in the country, and they lead a regular life. Logic would state that if aliens are truly going to visit us, with all the problems in the world today, they would go visit the Prime Minister, the President, or someone in power. Even though I have the utmost respect for this couple, and think of them very highly, again, there is no reason for aliens to visit them.
My other theory is, could this be energies we are projecting? Could we be capable of projecting our energies outwards, that cause this anomaly? I am hoping as our investigations proceed, that we zero in more on a substantial theory.
We have to keep an open mind when it comes to finding out about true orbs. But on the same vein, we have to be logical and somewhat scientific. Once all the natural and equipment explanations have been ruled out, then we can hopefully find out what these might be.
ORBS - Article 3 - 2007
Recently, I have been hearing many explanations of what orb's caught on film might be. Now we covered what they could be when caught on digital camera. Everything from pixel distortions, bugs, dust and even humidity. But what exactly are they when they are caught on film?
There is a popular team in the states, where its head investigator proclaims them as nothing paranormal or supernatural, just basic balls of energy floating around us. So in their investigations, every orb caught on film - is dismissed.
My question - if spirits, ghosts and the like are made up of energy, and use the energy around us to try and manifest (as they state time and time again), then wouldn't they show up as balls of energy as well? Couldn't it be just possible, that this energy shows up as a ball of light?
Another question I have, if its just energies in the air - there is so much around us caused by natural and man made forces, then why when they seem to be caught on tape, there is only usually one or at the most 4 at the same time? You would think that with all this energy floating around us, we would be getting 'white seas' across the camera's when filming.
I myself have seen many sites as well, that do have explainable things such as bugs and dust, or even try to fake with a flashlight, and state that they have captured an actual orb. But what about those that are not?
In our investigations, we have done experiments when orbs show up. In one investigation, in the Naked Maze, when one of our investigators was asking questions out - in a room about 50 feet across, two bright orbs showed up - seeming to emit their own energies. When the investigator started talking to the lights, they moved to the center of the room and seem to 'dance'. Then they flew right at her. This is not only caught on one camera - but two - at different angles. This room as with all our investigations was researched throughout for possible electrical and environmental factors that could interfere with what we might catch on tape.
Another investigation, one of our team members asked out, and again, a ball of energy appeared in the center of the room, then split into two, then came right for her.
From these two investigations alone, the 'orbs' seem to take on an intelligent form. They seemed to react to questions posed by our investigators. One possible explanation could be that its the energy of the team member herself - but if she could 'throw' her energy across a 50 foot room to manifest and fly like they did, then there is another whole ball of wax to think about.
I think its quite arrogant to dismiss the 'real' orbs so quickly. This could be an important piece of the continuing puzzle to understand what might be happening all around us.
B.Fowler, Head of Investigations June 27, 2007
Recently, I have been hearing many explanations of what orb's caught on film might be. Now we covered what they could be when caught on digital camera. Everything from pixel distortions, bugs, dust and even humidity. But what exactly are they when they are caught on film?
There is a popular team in the states, where its head investigator proclaims them as nothing paranormal or supernatural, just basic balls of energy floating around us. So in their investigations, every orb caught on film - is dismissed.
My question - if spirits, ghosts and the like are made up of energy, and use the energy around us to try and manifest (as they state time and time again), then wouldn't they show up as balls of energy as well? Couldn't it be just possible, that this energy shows up as a ball of light?
Another question I have, if its just energies in the air - there is so much around us caused by natural and man made forces, then why when they seem to be caught on tape, there is only usually one or at the most 4 at the same time? You would think that with all this energy floating around us, we would be getting 'white seas' across the camera's when filming.
I myself have seen many sites as well, that do have explainable things such as bugs and dust, or even try to fake with a flashlight, and state that they have captured an actual orb. But what about those that are not?
In our investigations, we have done experiments when orbs show up. In one investigation, in the Naked Maze, when one of our investigators was asking questions out - in a room about 50 feet across, two bright orbs showed up - seeming to emit their own energies. When the investigator started talking to the lights, they moved to the center of the room and seem to 'dance'. Then they flew right at her. This is not only caught on one camera - but two - at different angles. This room as with all our investigations was researched throughout for possible electrical and environmental factors that could interfere with what we might catch on tape.
Another investigation, one of our team members asked out, and again, a ball of energy appeared in the center of the room, then split into two, then came right for her.
From these two investigations alone, the 'orbs' seem to take on an intelligent form. They seemed to react to questions posed by our investigators. One possible explanation could be that its the energy of the team member herself - but if she could 'throw' her energy across a 50 foot room to manifest and fly like they did, then there is another whole ball of wax to think about.
I think its quite arrogant to dismiss the 'real' orbs so quickly. This could be an important piece of the continuing puzzle to understand what might be happening all around us.
B.Fowler, Head of Investigations June 27, 2007
