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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Mystery Of The Orbs

I've been taking pictures these last few nights to try to encounter a nocturnal animal or two, but instead I encountered something very different and mysterious. Orbs! This is the next best thing to getting a Bigfoot on camera! I'm not the first person to capture these mysterious objects on film, but this is the first time for me.

You may have to click on the pictures to get a better look. I still have the originals on my computer, which are the best quality at 4000x3000, but I had to shrink them down to 800x600 to save space for the blog. I wish I could show you the originals, but this is the way it has to be. I do have a better version of the first picture over at Nature Center Magazine today that we're featuring as a Free Wallpaper.

So, what are orbs? I don't know if anyone knows for sure. There are plenty of scientific explanations for orbs. some say they are artifacts caused by digital cameras, but others say a digital camera would make these artifacts more squared off. Some say they are nothing more than dust reflections, but others ask why then are they not seen all the time in the same spot. Just for fun, let's take a look at the less scientific reasons now.

Many people believe that orbs are actually floating ghosts or spirits in the form of balls of light. Others believe that they are not spirits at all, but that they are really a strange kind of energy being. For more of this type of explanation of orbs, go here. I don't know what I really believe because I don't have enough information to make a definite conclusion.

What I do know is that I've been taking nighttime pictures at the edges of my property for several nights now and I never saw these orbs in my pictures until last night. Have I done something different? No. I've taken the same pictures as always.


The reason I took the pictures you see here is because I heard some strange rustling sounds in the weeds so I pointed the camera in the direction of the noises hoping to get something good. I didn't get the wild animal I was expecting, but I think these orbs are even more fun.

So what do you think these orbs are? Did I go out at night and find glowing spirit forms coming close to investigate me? Or do you think a more scientific explanation makes more sense? Maybe they are fairies? Will I go out one too many times only to find myself mysteriously transported to another world where these orbs came from. Maybe I'll be trapped there forever. I guess we'll find out.


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28 comments:

  1. The orbs are forms of energy in my opinion. There was some abandoned house, some source of water nearby?
    I invite you to thoroughly investigate the area that you showed.
    Another explanation could be the dirty lens of the camera. Make another test, clean the lenses. Expect a detailed report;)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. @Funky Town Disco Music 70s
      There are several old sheds ad a creek that are very close. I doubt that it was caused by the camera lens because I took pictures with it each night before with no orbs. And there were also none in other locations that night.

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  2. I saw on Fact or Fiction that most of these orb photos can be caused by flying insects and the reflection of the flash off of the wings.
    Either explanation is fine. I just like the mystery of it all. Just knowing that there are still a few things in our world that defy the scientific method keeps the mystery alive.

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    1. @RGC2005
      That's a pretty good explanation in some cases. I can understand insects being the cause of orbs sometimes, but there are no insects here right now because it's too cold. I guess we'll have to keep searching for the answer.

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  3. What i know little about these Orbs are, that they are lights of energy and they only appear in photo films, but not visible to our eyes. They could appear in different colors other than white.

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    1. @Elvirah
      I hope I get to see some of the orbs that are different colors. That would be even more exciting.

      Delete
  4. I have no clue but I like the idea of fairies :)

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    1. @Ann
      I like the idea of fairies too. That's why I threw that one in there. It would be something to find out it was fairies.

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  5. Replies
    1. @Country Mouse Studio
      Maybe one day we'll all figure it out.

      Delete
  6. reflections off something- dust?
    or.... fairies!

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    1. @Sharkbytes
      I guess it could be either one. I like the more fantastic answer of fairies, but my mind is too logical to disregard something more mundane such as dust.

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  7. There are quite many adventurous happenings in the forest.

    All depend on your perception, belief, feeling, and etc.

    And these happen also in daylight.

    So I never enter the forest during nighttime.

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    1. I don't usually enter the forest at night either. Now I live right on the edge of many trees and nature so I can visit the edge of natural places at night without actually entering them.

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  8. Perhaps they are a reflection of our own spirit. If nothing else they are very interesting.

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    1. @WildBill
      That explanation is something very interesting to think about. I think orbs should maybe be investigated on a case by case basis because I have seen many good explanations for them. It would be interesting to keep investigating them. I hope I can find out more about these particular orbs.

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  9. Goodness, Ratty, if you get spirited away and taken to parts unknown, see if these transporters will, at the very least, allow you to leave us a goodbye note so we will not be left wondering and worrying.

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    1. @RNSANE
      If that happens I'll try my best. But I've read too many old Irish legends that tell of people finding themselves in the land of the fairy folk never able to return. Those fairies can be ruthless when they lure somebody to their realm.

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  10. A few times, my human has gotten orbs while photographing us kitties. I sort of thought that maybe in our particular case, it was because we had had too much nip!

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    1. @Sparkle
      That very well could be. Catnip can cause some strange side effects. Maybe yours were light reflecting off of catnip particles in the air. :)

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  11. I manipulated the photos a bit in gimp, but didn't come up with anything. They look similar to the way the camera flash reflects off rain or snow at night.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. @John
      I was thinking the same thing about the rain and snow reflections, but it was pretty dry on all three nights that I took these photos. Logic tells me that there's a rational explanation for these orbs, but I have yet to find it.

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    2. How about setting up the camera on a tripod and taking several pictures. You'll then be able to flick through them and see if the orbs move :-)

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    3. @John
      That's a great idea, and something I never thought of. I may have to find another stable surface out there because I don't have a tripod, but I'll definitely try this.

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  12. I like all the stories of faeries and spirits too but the orbs are nothing more than dust particles, insects, water droplets (too tiny to notice) and lens flare. Your first photo looks a lot like some I have captured before, some in the day time. But it is all fun to think about Ratty!

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    1. @SquirrelQueen
      I agree with you about the orbs being something normal, but it's more fun to focus on the more fantastic aspect of the idea of orbs until I find which one is causing mine.

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  13. I think the 'orbs' are specs within the air that the camera flash pics up...no they won't always be in the same place as they will carry on the air currents that are always around even when they are so gentle that we can't even feel them. As for what the 'specs' are...I will leave that to the individuals imagination...for those skeptics out there I guess it could just be dust...for those of us with more belief and/or imagination then they could be spirits, sprites, faeries,your personal guardian angel or a number of other things...the possibilities are endless.

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    1. @allotments4you
      Your explanation is perfect for the orbs. I agree that they are indeed some sort of specs that the camera flash is reflecting on. Until I find a scientific explanation for my specific orbs I like to talk about the more imaginative or whimsical ideas of orbs, otherwise they might not even be worth talking about.

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