# Ghost Pictures and Orbs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2002, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505 "2002-10-09T10:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sterlingTjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sterlingTjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sterlingTjones)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/1 "2002-10-09T10:49:10Z")
last week i was taking photos outside at a party with a digital camera… and i got some strange fog type stuff happening on some of the pics i took… it was a clear night … no fog at all… yet three different shots pointed at different places had this fog… and i think some of these shots also had orbs like the one they speak of on this site [http://www.alienufoart.com](http://www.alienufoart.com) … of course fog and strange things showing up in pictures have nothing to prove in the way of ghost findings! but it is weird… i think it may be perfectly explained by science… problem is i cant find any proof to this. a little help would be greatful. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/2 "2002-10-09T11:17:10Z")
Would it be possible for you to put your own pictures online somewhere that we can have a look at them. One possible explanation is that the imaging element in digital cameras is often responsive to wavelengths of light which are beyond the human visual range, so it may be that there was some kind of atmospheric ‘fog’ effect that was dispersing infra red, but not shorter, visible wavelengths. I’m afraid I didn’t pay much attention to the site you linked as I left my foil helmet at home today. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/3 "2002-10-09T11:44:19Z")
Without seeing the photos it’s difficult to say. However, reflections within the lens (lens flare) can often create “orbs”, and could create a fog effect too. Were there any lights in (or just outside) the field of view in these photos? From [this site](http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/flare.html), which has a couple of (not very good) example photos: > [@](#): > > Manifestations of flare are diverse and range from colored patches, ghost images, a haze over the entire image, and any mixture or variation… The effect is most obvious in dark areas of the image. [This site](http://members.aol.com/xelaufo/dir1/orb1.html) has a great lens flare “UFO” pic (although, laughably and predictably, the guy claims that it’s not lens flare). You can tell that it is because it is diametrically opposite the source of light (the sun, hidden by thin cloud). Also, he claims that you can see cloud in front of the orb, whereas in fact the reason you can see both is that the cloud “shows through” the lens flare, as you would expect. I especially love the way people use Photoshop “emboss” filters to try and prove that things are 3D 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/4 "2002-10-09T12:50:45Z")
this bit (from your secong link **r\_k** ) made me chuckle: > [@](#): > > The untrained experts can easily mistake the orb for lens flare during an initial analysis due to the fact that some orbs appear somewhat like lens flare, close inspection will yield that they are not lens flare but unidentified objects emitting optical energy. The orb is emitting optical energy and is not highly reflective Untrained experts? it’s no wonder they would make a mistake! A piece of advice to any scientific institutions out there who might be employing untrained experts: sack them and take on some semi-literate paranoid nutcases instead. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/5 "2002-10-09T14:21:43Z")
Since it was night, I assume you were using a flash. If the lens was dirty, it could scatter the bright light coming into the lens from people and close-up objects, making a bit of that light look like it’s coming from places that are supposed to be dark. This would be especially pronounced in high-contrast situations such as flash photos at night. But without examples, we can’t say. ---
**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/6 "2002-10-09T14:32:40Z")
Another source of wierdness in photos, especially at night with a flash: Any insect or floating dust or airborn debris of any type will make interesting effects in the image if they are closer to the lens than it is set to focus for. The flash will light up a close object very brightly. Something that is very bright and out of focus will “appear” much larger than actual size in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Snugglebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snugglebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snugglebear)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/7 "2002-10-10T09:42:02Z")
I believe what you are refering to is a phenomenon known as coronas discharge, ball lightning, Saint Elmo’s Fire, & here in appalachia Fox Fire. This is a very common occurance believe it or not. I’ve actually been one one the lucky ones who have had the pleasure of seeing the fox fire whilst on a camping trip in the smokey mountains. It was a very scary experience at first but after awhile I found them to be very beautiful. And yes there is a scientific explanation for them. [Ball Lightning Theories](http://tbci.org/tbci/~bakers/physics/IEtheories.html) & [Ball Lightning](http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/~bdaye/balligh.html) & [Quantum Analysis](http://www.chukanovenergy.com/bl/) Will all tell you pretty much the same thing. My suggestion is that if you want to learn more type in these names I’ve given you in a search engine. Otherwise I’d say it was just a glare on the camera or bad film. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/8 "2002-10-10T15:20:41Z")
Even ghosts like parties. : D ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/9 "2002-10-12T02:14:09Z")
Newspaper photographer checking in (newsphotog mindset: “the equipment’s not mine, so why bother to clean it?”): most “orbs” are dust on the lens. Very close, out-of-focus, well-lit dust. It gets rather tedious when I’ve got a lot of sky in a photo and have to paint out all the “orbs” using Photoshop… I like the “black helicopter” pic in **r\_k** ’s link. It’s not black, it’s silhouetted against the bright sky! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![G.Cornelius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@G.Cornelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Cornelius)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/10 "2002-10-14T12:42:31Z")
I think that there may be one more possibility. If you were using a flash, it is possible that atmospheric dust or water droplets were reflecting the flash. I am not sure of the exact mechanism, but I think it is akin to the halo effects one sometimes sees around street lamps or even the sun, under cetain conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/11 "2002-10-14T18:55:51Z")
[“Ghost” orbs explained](http://psandoval.0catch.com/orbs.html) Ain’t no ghost, its your damn camera ya woowoo! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/12 "2002-10-15T14:19:12Z")
I was always suspicious of such photographic evidence until I saw this image. [http://home.attbi.com/~n9ivo/whatswrong.swf](http://home.attbi.com/~n9ivo/whatswrong.swf) Concentrate on the area around the table. It takes some folk a few minutes to see the image. Be sure your volume is on so you can hear the sound as well as see the picture. Apparently the owners of this house had been seeing images and hearing voices for quite a while. They did some research and found that a lady once lived in the house who lost her husband during the civil war. Legend says that she used to sit at the table and look across the fields in anticipation of her loved one returning home. He never came. So, they say she still waits. They caught this photo of what they claim to be her. It took me a while to find it, but when you do, it just stands out. Like one of those optical illusions. To save you some time, concentrate around the table. Best not to focus too much on one spot. Look around the table and toward the window. If you don’t see it at first, don’t give up. It takes some people a minute or two to see it. Happy halloween! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/13 "2002-10-15T14:51:45Z")
It’s very subtle **Dinsdale** ; I had to get quite close to the screen before I could see it properly. ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-pictures-and-orbs/131505/14 "2002-10-15T15:16:59Z")
WoW **Dinsdale** , I looked and saw nothing at first so I sat back and sort of tried not to focus, after about a little bit of time I saw the ghost, then I had to go change my shorts!