What we mean with the word orb? (part 1)

The term «orb» mean anomalies appear in several photos and video,ie small seemingly bright spheres with a diameter of a few millimeters to a few tens of centimeters.
 Their name comes from the latin word «orbis» which means circle. The term «orb» has prevailed worldwide, while few countries still use their own terminology, such as Spain in which such abnormalities called «canoplas».
From far recorded appearances orbs can add generalizing each subject as follows: usually suspended following erratic course, moving at high speed, leaving behind a weak trace, vary in brightness and their transparency and their shape up today are recorded cyclically or oval.





When the orbs began to appear?

The orbs began to appear routinely when we entered the digital photo in our lives.Somewhere in late 1990.There is also orbs appearances in analog film but their incidence is very rare.

Orbs are a phenomenon that has a logical explanation or something that can be the basis for expression of  paranormal causes?

Orbs have caused the interest of the scientific world and many researchers as to interpret tous.The different views and interpretations made by many scientists and researchers speak that we are dealing with dust, moisture or small insects.
There are many researchers and scientists but who see the phenomenon from different approach. Although in many cases we are dealing with dust or moisture, but in other cases and depenting on equipment there is questions created as to the causes and how they eg distance event motion and time displayed.

A very important feature that has to do with the appearance of orbs is equipment UTILIZE.
To a greater percentage of photographs out there (internet) taken with digital cameras or even mobile phones. If we take care and go back to the type of camera that has been used we are talking about digital compact cameras which have very small sensor but also a short length lens,also the distance of the edge of the lens is within walking distance of the flash so that pass very close to the edge of the lens of a digital camera with flash mode enabled will glare light and thus appear as orbs.

The spheres(orbs) are caught during low light conditions where the camera flash is used. Cases include underwater photography or night or when the light source is close to the camera.

The orbs are particularly common in compact or ultra-compact camera, wherein the short distance between the lens and the built-in flash reduces the angle of light reflection on the lens, directly illuminate the aspect of the particles facing the lens and increase camera as far as the ability to capture the light reflected from normal sub-visible particles.







In fact, because the picture reduces our world of three dimensions down to two dimensions, it is not possible to tell one how far from the camera an orb is.The sphere of dust will be just some centimeters from the camera!

For the above reasons, therefore our team did not use compact or ultra compact cameras during our investigations, but DSLR cameras where the position indicator is at a great distance from the edge of the lens,as resulting dust and moisture passes in front of the edge of the DSLR camera lens does not appear when the flash is in use.

This is because dust particles near the flash is actually much higher than the lens outside the coverage area.

We need to also consider the size of a DSLR camera sensor relative to one of a compact camera which the sensor is much smaller in size.

The larger sensor also gives us greater light collection due to the increase of the surface which thus have a sharp and clear picture especially in low light conditions drastically reducing the digital "noise" created from the lack of adequate lighting and photosensitivity.

With considering the above data we understand that very important role is the correct choice and use of a photographic camera trying to exclude orbs recorded by dust or moisture.

Ioannis Koniaris

 founder / lead investigator   of the The AfterDark Project team