Orbs in pictures of the sun Continue The backscatter of the camera's flash of motes of dust causes unfocused orb-shaped photographic artifacts. In photography, the backscatter (also called near-camera reflection[1]) is an optical phenomenon that results in typically circular artifacts on an image, due to the camera's flash reflected from unfocused motes of dust, water droplets, or other particles in the air or water. It is especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras. [3] [3] A hypothetical underwater instance with two conditions in which circular photographic artifacts are probable (A) and unlikely (B), depending on whether the aspect of particles facing the lens directly reflects the flash, as shown. Elements do not appear to scale. Caused by the backscatter of light of unfocused particles, these artifacts are also sometimes referred to as orbs, citing a common paranormal claim. Some appear with tracks, suggesting movement. [4] Cause circular unfocused visual artifacts caused by raindrops. Additional information: Light scattering of particles and Defocus-aberration Backscatter usually occurs in low light scenes when the camera flash is used. Cases include night time and underwater photography, when a bright light source and reflective unfocused particles are close to the camera. [1] Light appears much brighter much near the source due to the inverse-square law, which says light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. [5] The artifact may be the result of backscatter or retroreflection of the light from airborne solid particles, such as dust or pollen, or liquid droplets, especially rain or fog. They can also be caused by foreign material within the camera lens. [4] The image artifacts usually appear as either white or semi-transparent circles, but may also occur with full or partial color spectra, purple fringing, or other chromatic aberration. With raindrops, an image can capture light passing through the droplet, creating a small rainbow effect. [6] Fujifilm describes the artifacts as a common photographic problem: There is always a certain amount of dust floating around in the air. You may have noticed this in the cinema when you look up at the light coming from the film projector and notice the bright sparks floating around in the beam. Similarly, there are always dust particles floating around nearby when taking pictures with your camera. When using the flash, the light from the flash reflects off the dust particles and is sometimes captured in your shot. Of course dust particles very close to the camera are blurred because they are not in focus, but because they reflect the light more strongly than the more distant main part of the shot, that reflected light can sometimes be captured by the camera and recorded on the resulting image as round white spots. So these dots are blurry images of dust In underwater scenes, particles such as sand or plankton marine life reflect near the lens, invisible to the diver, light from the lightning that causes the orb artifact in the image. A strobe flash, which distances the flash from the lens, eliminates artifacts. [7] The effect is also visible on infrared camcorders, where superbright infrared LEDs illuminate microscopic particles very close to the lens. The artifacts are particularly common with compact or ultra-compact cameras, where the short distance between the lens and the built-in flash reduces the angle of light reflection to the lens, directly illuminating the particles facing the lens, and increasing the camera's ability to capture the light reflected from normally subvisible particles. [2] A single orb in the center of the photo, on the person's knee level Paranormal claims Some paranormal investigators have referred to orbs appearing in photographs from allegedly paranormal sources. [8] Others[who?] have claimed that orbs are an unknown kind of creature, partly based on perceived intent in the movements of the orbs. Such beliefs have been interpreted by Michael Shermer as examples of agenticity. [10] Paranormal investigators Joe Nickell and Brian Dunning have agreed that orbs are the result of natural phenomena such as insects, dust, pollen or water droplets. [11] [12] See also Bokeh Digital artifact Entoptic phenomenon Lens flare Rod (optics) Rolling shutter Will-o'-the-wisp References ^ a b Robinson, Edward M. (12 June 2016). Crime scene photography. Academic pressure. p. 558. ISBN 978-0-12-802768-4. ^ a b c d Flash reflections from liquid dust particles. Fujifilm. Filed from original on July 27, 2005. Retrieved 2017-06-19. ^ Baron, Cynthia (2008). Adobe Photoshop Forensics: Sleuths, Truths and Fauxtography. Cengage Learning. p. 310. ISBN 1-59863-643-X. ^ a b Grimm, Tom; Grimm, Michelle (1997). The basic book of photography. Plume (original from Pennsylvania State University). p. 509. Retrieved 2017-06-19. An additional problem known as the backscatter occurs when flash lights striking these suspended particles reflect back to the camera lens and record on the film as fuzzy white spots. Of course, the backscatter can also be reduced by getting the camera as close to your subjects as possible, because the shorter that distance, the fewer the number of liquid particles in front of the lens. ^ Richard Ferncase. Basic Lighting Worktext for movies and video. CRC Press; 22 April 1992. ISBN 978-1-136-04418-2. p. 66. ^ J. David Pye. Polarized light in science and nature. CRC Press; 6 May 2015. ISBN 978-1-4200-3368-7. p. 81. ^ Nick Robertson-Brown. Underwater Photography: Art and Techniques. Crowood; 31 January 2014. ISBN 978-1-84797-658-1. p. 105. Wagner, Stephen (29 January 2017). Why Orbs in pictures is not evidence of the paranormal. ThoughtCo. Retrieved June 27, 2017. ^ Klaus; Ledwith, Miceal (2007). Orb project. Beyond Words Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 9781416575535. Retrieved June 27, 2017. ^ Radford, Benjamin (2017). Orbs as Plasma Life. Skeptical inquirer. 41 (5): 28–29. ^ Joe Nickell.ISBN 0-8131-2691-6. p. 159. Dunning, Brian (February 24, 2007). Skeptoid #29: Orbs: The ghost of the camera. Skeptoid. Retrieved June 15, 2017. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Photographic Orbs. Retrieved from Wait, what?! What the hell is that smear ball in that picture you just took? Did you put your finger in front of the lens again? Did you breathe too hard and fog the lens up? Ew, is that a creepy ghost we're seeing? The illuminated, circular spots in images are called orbs, and they have been racking people's brains regularly, thanks to digital photography. There are several explanations for these balls of brightness. What theory do you believe in? People have called these forms angels or spirits for years. Believers notice a lot of orbs in pictures taken at special family gatherings, church services, or in spiritual places. Do photos taken at these events pick up the dust in the air at a wedding reception, or are they the guardian angels blessing (or maybe trying to destroy) the tray? Hey, maybe good grandma thought he was a loser! Related Articles Meaning Of Blue Orbs What Does Green Orbs Mean? The meaning of White Orb's Pictures taken during church services often shows golden orbs on or near the clergy, participants or depictions of gods and holy people. These orbs usually lie behind a person or object, so they obviously can't be labeled as a reflection. Believers often take these appearances as proof that the light seen in every photograph is indeed an angel. Many ancient religious texts describe angels in terms of light or as beings of light. However, there is no scientific evidence that orbs are angels. Maybe we all just want to believe? 2. Excuse me, but Your Halo's Shows Beyonce' can see your halo, but are they visible to the average human eye, too? An article GeorgeDStewart.com seems to say so, and it's about our past. He correlates modern orbs taken in photographs with halos previously depicted in works of art for hundreds of years. What if the old, European dudes who painted spheres or globes of light behind the heads of Christian saints actually build this idea away from the observations of orbs? Did they try to correlate orbs with something of spiritual significance, or did they maybe just hit the wine a little too hard that day? Halos are a big reason why people think orbs can be angelic, but as we've already mentioned, there's no scientific evidence for any of this. It's still fun to believe though, isn't it? 3. Ghoul-tastic Ghost Orbs Who to Call?! Paranormal believers Ghost hunters believe that spirit orbs are energy patterns of ghost or entities. Ugh! They believe spirits glow and show off a sheen of gold, green, blue or crimson light, especially in pictures. Some say that moving orbs in movies or clips are ghosts too because they, well, move, but there are other explanations for it. There are some who even think they've seen faces in orbs when they zoom in, and really, no alcohol or drug addiction was involved! Scary. Believers point to the appearance of orbs in images of supposedly haunted places. But a careful study comparing the number of globe photographs taken in supposedly haunted locations and the amount of orbs photographed in random locations has never been completed. Maybe that's what needs to be done to come to the conclusion that a orb is in fact a ghost. Either way, it's fun (and ghoul-tastic) to pretend they are, don't you think? 4. Time to Break Out the Feather Pond? Relax and clean up, people! You are probably not haunted or followed by a dead relative or lost ghost if you see orbs in your pictures.