Hi,

Well I am going to talk briefly about a subject which has recieved a number of different views -ORBs.

You know the type of thing that I am talking about, you have had your trusty digital camera out and been snapping landscapes, or family pics or any type of picture... and there is a strange circular blemish on the camera that wasnt there when you took the photo....

Many people believe they are spirit manifestations, apparitions etc. And a growing number of people are totally convinced they are normal phenomena which can be explained scientifically.

Here at Pembrokeshire Beyond, we don't want to make your mind up for you, however we do want to present you with as much information as we can on any subjects we cover.

I have been reading a number of peoples research with regards to creating orbs and have listed links to a couple of sites which cover the phenomena in great depth.

The aim of this blog is to give you a brief outline of what I have discovered, allowing you to research it in more depth if you require, allowing you to stop a minute before you declare to the world 'I have photographed a Ghost!'

The main bulk of the research can be summarised as follows:-

The location of the photo's does not seem to effect the presence of Orbs, i.e 'Haunted locations' don't have massively increased ORB photos than none 'haunted' locations.  This suggests that the presence of a 'haunted environment' makes no difference.

35mm cameras capture significantly less ORBs than digital cameras.

Photos with an enhanced 'depth of field' provide significantly more ORBs than photos using a more standard depth of field

When a flash is closer to the camera, more ORBs are generally observed

When a flash is used more ORBs are shown then with a none flash used photo.

In summary the number of ORBs in photos changes dependent upon 'mundane' factors, rather than haunted or paranormal which seems to suggest that ORBS are a phenomena not caused by paranormal conditions.

So does this mean ORBs are dust??  well yes and  no, ORBs are not dust but seem to be caused by 'dust' or moisture, or other small airborne particles. 

The general consensus is that orbs are 'Circles Of Confusion', basically light reflected from dust particles, or parts of them when shot out of focus dependent upon the depth of vision being used by the particular camera at the time. When this reflection is then combined with the way some digital cameras 'fill' spaces when taking certain pictures, it enhances the ORB size and shape.

As I have said this is not research carried out by us at Pembrokeshire Beyond, however is collated from multiple sources on the internet.

Para.Science, a group of scientific paranormal researchers, have conducted some groundbreaking research into the phenomenon and I would recommend reading their evidence. Using a camera with 2 lenses, they have taken photos which show the ORB being picked up on on one lense, though not on the other, which would confirm the views of dust reflection, etc.

I would also recommend visiting The Orb Zone, which is another good reference point for the scientific explanation of ORBs.

However it is for you to decide what you believe, many people still say that 2-5% of ORB pictures cannot be explaned by the science....What are your thoughts?