Ghostly orbs or dust?

[Tobin S.]

We took a haunted tour last night in Savannah, Georgia which is supposedly the most haunted city in America. One reason for that, according to the tour guide, is the fact that many of the city's buildings were built on top of cemeteries as well more ancient burial grounds. We were told that the most common apparition is the ghostly orb and that we would most likely see them in the pictures that we took. So, we took a lot of pictures. Many of them in the dark, and ghostly orbs we did see. Here are a few examples.







It struck me that I had seen these things before in some photographs and I went searching through my photobucket account and found them. I took these of the interior of my condo when I was trying to sell it. It was the first time I'd seen such a thing, and I didn't really know what it was. I just attributed it to a malfunction in my camera.





I looked around the internet and the skeptical explanation for these apparitions is that they are dust particles a few inches away from the camera lens. When the flash goes off it gives them the appearance of an orb. Other sites acknowledge this factor while also stating that there are genuine ghostly orbs. What do you think?

[HopeHoops]

1. Man, you have GOT to keep the camera a few feet away from the bed when you're doing the nasty!!!

[Tobin S.]

2. It took me a minute to get that.

Very fucking funny. :P

[HopeHoops]

3. Serious dude. That shit's not easy to get off a lense. Um, and just how do I know this?

Wait, what was the subject again? Oh yes, bowling techniques, right? Line up and spot the arrows. Let the natural - ah fuck it, I'm busted.

[warrior1]

4. They call it orbs

but it's just dust.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Agreed.

[Archae]

6. It is dust.

Not just on the camera lens, either.

I did an experiment once.

Took a picture of my room.

Then blew the dust around off a couple shelves.

Took a second picture of my room.

"Orbs" were all over the place in the second picture, from dust reflecting the camera's flash.

[GoneOffShore]

7. Just dust - And Photoshop is your friend.

[kayakjohnny]

8. I'm going against the grain here, and saying orbs. Totally.

I'll post a few links in a moment.

[kayakjohnny]

9. For one thing, dust can't be the answer to all the images here....

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=ppwl&cp=20&gs_id=2u&xhr=t&q=finger+pointing+upward&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=831&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=orbs&pbx=1&oq=orbs&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=234433l235221l0l235961l4l4l0l0l0l0l424l1208l2-3.0.1l4l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=6df7682d449daa51&biw=1280&bih=831

[kayakjohnny]

12. And here are two videos of them in Washington state....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hWxKpcnLaU

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B18INsS091A

[Taverner]

10. Light tricks, dust, etc

If there really were orbs, wouldn't some of the folks in the pics see them?

[Liberal Veteran]

11. According to this expert....those are aliens.

[Amaril]

15. I LOVE Giorgio!!

His hair absolutely ROCKS!

[Liberal Veteran]

16. I'm convinced he is mute because I never hear him talk.

I'm mesmerized by that thing on his head.

[Amaril]

18. I know, right?

And I think the thing that makes it stand out even more is the disparity between his nice little suit / tie (though, I've noticed he always wears the same green suit) & that mound of chaos on his head.

[MiddleFingerMom]

13. Tobin's orbs

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(now THERE is a "Word(s) for the Day" for somebody to run with, if I've ever seen one (two?).)
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From The Urban Dictionary:
Tosspot: An old English double-noun which, because of the use of the word,
toss and its own synonymous resonance with masturbation and wank, does
not mean "a wanker".

A toss-pot is a drunkard, a toper; a would-be alcoholic still managing to
function in society. Oh, for fuck's sake, you haven't left the cellar key with
that old toss-pot?

You really are a silly old toss-pot, aren't you? I was, I guess, somewhat taken
aback when you threw up all over the Bulgarian Ambassador, but I do so love
you very much, Poppet.
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And, um... Tobin? Though we're all hungry for pictures of your honeymoon, your orbs
are a precious and personal tender gift for you to share, at the VERY least on your
honeymoon... with your beloved newlywed blushing babe bride.
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They should remain BEHIND THE DAMN CAMERA. OK?!?!?!?
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Pretty please?
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[Amaril]

14. Those are dust

THIS is a ghost.......

Photo snapped of my son right before we did a ghost walk in St. Augustine. He was standing in front of the half wall that separates St. George Street from the Basilica courtyard. I just snapped a random photo of him (on my digital camera), and when I was scrolling thru the photos later, I noticed a red "glow" above his left shoulder. When I blew up the photo, this is what I saw. There was no one in the courtyard at the time -- I'm pretty sure they lock the gate at sunset.

[EnviroBat]

17. I think that if I were to go to all of the effort to be a ghost,

that I'd make myself into something more interesting than an orb. Nothing scary about an orb. In fact, I find orbs quite pleasant...

[freshwest]

20. Maybe would have to do with the physics of manifesting in the physical realm? Stumps me.

[BlueIris]

19. Supposedly, the way to 'tell' if you have an orb or not is to determine

if it has a light source. Dust particles in front of the lens have a light source. Orbs not so much. And no, I don't know how to determine if there's a light source. I'm also an orb skeptic, so I'm not the person to ask.

[RedCloud]

21. Just play them this song and their interdimensional bubbles will burst .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndChcyOAEcs

[City of Mills]

22. Swamp Gas.

Here's some swamp gas bubbles I captured in a cemetery last year:

[Odin2005]

23. Dust. No such thing as ghosts.