Yet another Experiment Debunking the "Orbs are Just Dust" Idea

[Karyn]

Yet Another Experiment Debunking the "Orbs Are Just Dust" Idea

With thanks to Mark Mahin.

The site www.youtube.com has some videos attempting to debunk orbs. One incredibly silly video features a skeptic pouring huge amounts of dust directly in front of the camera, with the suggestion that this technique can be used to show that orbs are just dust. The approach suggested is, of course, utterly ridiculous.  The people who photograph orbs and post them to the Internet as unexplained mysteries are photographing orbs in ordinary air, and are not at all photographing orbs in any condition bearing the least resemblance to a condition in which dust is poured in front of the camera.  One cannot explain a phenomenon by using testing conditions totally different from the conditions under which the phenomenon was observed.

A somewhat less ridiculous video shows an experiment in which someone crinkles a wad of dry toilet paper in front of a camera. This method is also objectionable, because virtually never does any one photograph orbs under such a condition, with little specks of dust falling directly in front of the camera.  But I decided to give this test a try, just to see whether anything would show up bearing significant resemblance to the orbs that I have produced in my photographs. No such thing happened.

I  took 82 flash photos while crinkling some dry toilet paper in front of a dark background, as shown below (the little white specks at the top are falling pieces of dust).

The test does produce a few dust orbs, but none of the 82 photos showed any type of orb that an intelligent person would ever post to the Internet as an example of a possibly paranormal orb or an unexplained mystery. The only orbs that were produced were small, dull, and colorless. All were pale-looking looking little things without any brightness, and without any color other than white or gray. None had interesting outer rings, and none appeared to have faces. None of these dust orbs was  any larger than about 5 percent of the photo height.  These dust orbs typically had blurred edges quite different from the sharp outer edges shown in very many orb photos on this site.  There was no sign of any motion other than the ordinary motion of a falling particle.

A typical example is shown below (and most of the photos showed nothing):

This experiment shows that even when one is causing dust to fall directly in front of the camera lens, this still does not produce orbs anything like the dramatic orbs shown on this site, which are so often bright or large or colorful or having outer rings or facial characteristics or seeming to move in inexplicable ways.

See this post, this post,  and this post for similar tests with similar results.  The "orb zone theory" is one that does not stand up to scrutiny, and is also an idea that is incompatible with a little thing called the law of gravity.  The law of gravity tells us that dust very rapidly settles to the ground, the same thing that one actually observes when one raises dust and uses an electronic dust detector to measure how quickly dust settles. The idea that ordinary air is filled with particles of dust sufficient to create dramatic photo anomalies is a fantasy.  Typical, ordinary air at camera level has very little dust, and that invisible dust is not sufficient to show up in flash photos, partially because dust is not a very reflective material.

 

Posted by Mark Mahin at https://orbpro.blogspot.com/search/label/experiments

[P.A.T]

I used to post quite a few videos of orbs (potential orbs) on my channel. A lot of times people would tell me they were simply dust/bugs. I’m no expert but am pretty much 100% certain that dust/bugs don’t just suddenly turn up when asked but hey ho. I’m also pretty certain that dust/bugs cannot fly/float around in a particular manner. I never claimed they were all orbs mind you, as sometimes even I was not certain, but I can say with absolute certainty that the majority of the ones I was lucky enough to capture and be shown (when asked), were indeed orbs. People will pooh pooh it away though and claim orbs aren’t real, yet show them a video of a “demon” and they’re all for it…

[Karyn]

It is a fall back argument sceptics make.  It goes along with moisture, dust, bugs.  The gent who wrote the posts I highlighted as he seems to have seriously entered an argument that is scientific.

In case you did not know there are a couple of scholarly books upon the subject especially ones written by scientists.  I would be happy to recommend them.  I have done a lot of research myself in this area P.A.T  I had to stop going to the spirit photography facebook group because of all the games and one upmanship and people unable to take on the truth.

I find Mark Machin very credible.  He has three blogs in the common domain.
Here is his letter to me: "

The content of my three blogs below are under a Creative Commons license, allowing you to republish anywhere, under the condition that you  include a link back to the source where you got the content 

www.futureandcosmos.blogspot.com
www.orbpro.blogspot.com
www.headtruth.blogspot.com

 

You can see that license on the front page of each of these blogs:

"Content on this blog may be shared on other web sites or in publications under this Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivatives license, requiring attribution (including a link to this web site) and prohibiting derivatives: Link."

 

"Derivatives" means alterations, such as changing a photo or changing words I wrote.  Using a particular photo or photos (unchanged) is not a derivative. 

 

For more information, see the link below:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/

 

So sure, you can use my photos  or posts under the conditions stated above."

He is a researcher so I would respect his need for privacy.

[Karyn]

What we do know is that they have intelligence or are manipulated by intelligence.  You may ask for them in your photo or not to be in your photo.  I have found 100% compliance with my request.

We do know they are capable of extreme speeds.

Despite a plethora of so called experts on the subject we do not know what they are, we do not know what the colours mean, we do know how to check if our equipment will pick them up.

We can tell orbs while it is raining, the structure is different.

A lot of mediums claim to know what they are however I have come across any that "pass the pub test" as we say in Australia.  I am particularly outspoken on people who claim to be experts and if someone says they do know run a mile.  People such as you P.A.T 

who will add to our knowledge.  I too have some magnificent orbs and on going back over the old film photos they were evident then it is just my mind was not open.  Please keep sharing.

 

[P.A.T]

Thank you very much for the information, it’s very much appreciated. I did not know of those books so please do feel free to let me know. Thank you for the website recommendations too, I shall definitely look into them too, I think I’m the kind of person that has a huge thirst for knowledge. Always eager to learn as much as I can, in order to try and be more well informed. Admittedly, there are lots of varying opinions out there on various paranormal subject matters/ideas/experiments and ways to investigate etc etc. It’s kind of like a one size does not fit all (in a sense), as an example, I have been experimenting with EVPs now (only for a little while mind you), I have tried various ways that others have attempted and seemed to have gained results from. However, when I apply those same methods, it appears it doesn’t work for me lol. I always seem to capture them when I’m not concentrating/asking, which I find strange? The first very clear EVP happened when I was making a video on how to hack a certain radio, to then use as a potential spirit box. Upon review of my video, I clearly hear a young child say we did it? You can imagine my utter surprise and shear excitement when I heard it. 
I too have become tired of the plethora of Facebook groups, which are supposed to help, encourage, support, yet all they do is either ignore, belittle or are just plain rude. It’s the same on YouTube, if you’re not running around a dark abandoned building which is allegedly haunted by all manner of spirits/demons, then it appears you are not believed
I’ll carry on regardless though, maybe one day I’ll actually have people who genuinely believe me lol and aren’t concerned as to where it is I am conducting experiments and sessions (time will tell). 
Thank you for the kind words, I am a simple soul lol, who’s just trying my best to prove that life continues after bodily death (in whatever form that may be). 
 

Once and it is only once I think, I was using my rem pod alongside my spirit box, I asked if anyone could make the rem pod go off, then through the radio I hear box, maybe, at the same time two orbs (and I could be wrong), flew past in an angled downward motion, in front of the radio and rem pod. 
 

I will keep sharing, thank you. For as long as I can investigate and experiment I shall continue to do so, regardless as to whether or not others believe me. I and those who communicate know the truth, others here too, that’s all that matters. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by P.A.T

[Karyn]

Glad to be of assistance to a fellow orb lover.

The book that appears first is the best book on the subject.  I cannot get to my bookshelf at the moment as I am downsizing and have boxes everywhere.

One of the authors was a NASA scientist so he is no dummy and I think his work will become the classic in the field. 

Heinemann Klaus & Ledwith Miceal The orb Project     Heinemann Klaus & Gundi Heinemann Orbs, Their Messages of Hope   Heinemann Klaus, Gundi Expanding Perception   The highlighted one is by far the best.
All of the people who claim more than these scientists and one was a nasa scientist is without evidential foundation.  Many ascribe colour theory which is just incorrect.  There are people in the USA who call themselves orb whispers and experts.  No-one is.  There is still so much we do not know. It is all about money.  Doreen Virtue made an absolute fortune beguiling people and then in a so called religious ephiny in a church and denounced her total life's work as wrong.    Imagine all those who devotedly followed her and their reaction to being duped. It is public knowledge so I am not presenting hearsay. I can only counsel those who wish to seek evidence and to tell people to please use their due diligence and separate fact from fiction.  I could go on and name some of the people but I think that I have given enough leads to be understood.   Blessings and happy orb photography. Unfortunately I cannot post an awesome video on orbs as we were getting ready for a seance.

[P.A.T]

It’s very much appreciated Karyn, I shall definitely be reading those books, even though I potentially have way to many on my to read list  

I’ve not heard of her? It seems all to familiar however in this industry/field. I too could list a whole host of people who willingly and knowingly spread fakery and nonsense. It seems in this current day and age that they are the ones to be believed by the masses, those poor unknowingly and blinded people who have no idea they are being duped. 
 

one such person (and I won’t disclose their name, but I’m certain most people would have heard of them), “makes” (and I use the term extremely loosely) a device called a portal, with varying designs given. Which sells for between $3000-$4000 (I’m not sure what the price would be in the uk where I am) but I assume it’s still a million times overpriced.) They then use this so-called “portal device”, to, as they say, “reach the dead”…unfortunate souls then buy this device in the hopes of communication (especially with loved ones), what they fail to realise however, is that this person dupes people, the device of theirs does not work. It is basically a decorated guitar amp, nothing more, nothing less. They feed all sorts of words, conversations into it to make it look like they are “receiving messages”…this person is not the only one who does this though. It makes me wonder what those whom communicate think?

Same goes for those who do celebrity spirit box sessions…. I find them utterly beep beeping beepers.

Thank you and blessings to you also, I have just purchased a digital camera (my first ever lol) although I do have two regular disposable cameras too, which I am hoping to use asap. 
 

Enjoy the séance, sounds super awesome, I’ve attempted them myself, as well as table tipping, which I definitely need to experiment more with lol.

[Karyn]

Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to this area.  Most people do not have the passion for it.  Would you believe that the average person stops listening to radio sound after 20 mins.  So long winded people are not necessarily boring but in the space of an hours talk you have to come out with a minimum number points.