ORB Experiment

This is an experiment that we have repeated time and time again and come up with the same results.

You can try this at home all you need is a compact digital camera, a room, and a source of dust. All digital cameras are slightly different so results will vary depending on the camera.

For this demonstration, an SPI member took the pictures in their living room and used a small rug as the source of dust, A soft cushion may work as well, but it’s best if it’s something you can pick up in front of the camera to get the dust as close to the camera as possible.

Camera Settings

  • If it has a zoom facility, set it to wide angle.
  • Flash on.
  • Focus on an opposite wall.
  • If you can mount the camera on a tripod, it makes it easier in the second part of the experiment.

Take two or three pictures of the same view. Then examine the pictures. It’s best if the images are loaded into a PC, to get them as large as possible.

First, don’t be surprised if you see some orbs. Just walking about in a room will disturb dust, but normally, there will be nothing unusual in the picture.

Flash, create dust and Orb storm – To confirm the findings, the experiment was repeated.

Run 2: Flash, no dust – Create dust and repeat the pictures.

Experiment 2: No Flash, No Dust – Dust was created and another picture taken without flash.

Experiment 2: Flash, create dust, Dust captured.

Conclusion:- creating orbs is easy and repeatable with a simple compact camera. There are many references on the web to explain the optics of how the orbs are created, but to simplify, if you have dust particles floating in front of the camera lens, and the dust is illuminated by the flash, it will be recorded as an out of focus object which often is a bright circle with a ‘textured’ inner. Many people have claimed to see the image of a face within the orb.

Flash and no Dust

Now repeat the pictures, but before taking them, create some dust by shaking the rug, or beating the cushion in front of the camera. Focus on the same spot as before and take a few pictures as soon as possible.

Run 2: Flash, create dust. dust storm

The second little experiment it to see what happens if the flash is not used. Firstly, a picture was taken without flash.

Experiment 2: No Flash, create dust, No Dust

And to confirm dust was there, a further picture was taken with flash

Typical Orb

When you see how easy it is to create orbs, it makes any explanation other than dust, almost impossible to prove. This is why in an evidence review SPI will throw out 99% of any orbs that are captured in our pictures.