Orbs in Photos: The More There Are, the More People Say They’re Spirits—But It’s Mostly Dust

People who take ghost photos love to post one type of image: translucent glowing orbs clustered in the picture, which they call "energy balls" of the dead. Some even claim you can faintly see a human face inside.

Most of these photos are taken at night or indoors with a digital camera that has a flash, usually in places that are dusty, damp, or rainy or snowy. The principle is simple: dust, water vapor, pollen, and small insects float in the air, close to the lens. When the flash hits them, the reflected light is especially bright. Because they’re too close to be in focus, they appear in the photo as a blurred circular spot of light—an "orb."

A single flying insect crossing the lens in the instant the shutter opens can also drag a bright line across the photo, which some call the "trajectory of a spirit."

If you want to try it, it’s easy: find a room that isn’t very clean, take a photo first to see if there are orbs; then scuff your feet on the floor a few times to kick up dust, and take another photo—the orbs will appear in droves. Turn off the flash and take another photo—the orbs disappear. Take two photos in a row, and the orbs will be in completely different positions because dust keeps drifting.

Also, the flash on point-and-shoot cameras is very close to the lens, so these cameras produce orbs especially often. After 2000, when digital point-and-shoot cameras became widespread, "orb photos" started flooding in, and many people treated them as evidence of the paranormal, posting dozens at a time on forums.

As for the "human faces" inside those orbs, the brain is especially good at seeing faces in random patterns. A little light and shadow within a glowing blob, and you just have to squint a bit.

So if you want to take more, go on a rainy day, or go to an old house full of dust—you’re sure to get plenty.

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