The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see five or six mysterious orbs.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
A Cheerful Face Floats Above the Flag
Photo date: April 10, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see five or six mysterious orbs.
Below is a closeup of the orb above the American flag (I used the IrfanView "Auto-adjust colors" menu option on this closeup). We see a face that looks as happy as a little boy watching a July 4th parade.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see five or six mysterious orbs.
A Triangle of 10 Orbs in the Sky
Photo date: April 27, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in New York City. We see a triangle of 10 orbs in the sky. This is definitely not a constellation, as some of the orbs are way too big to be stars.
What is the chance of you getting a triangle of 10 orbs from a random collection of particles, with no orbs inside the triangle? Something like one in a billion, I would imagine.
There was no fog, mist, or precipitation on this night.
The photo below was taken in New York City. We see a triangle of 10 orbs in the sky. This is definitely not a constellation, as some of the orbs are way too big to be stars.
There was no fog, mist, or precipitation on this night.
Smiling Orb Next to Anomalous Figure
Photo date: January 7, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The following photo was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
Below is a closeup of the orb.
Below is a closeup of the person we see to the right of the orb, who seems to have a trunk like an elephant. Perhaps this is some weird optical illusion, or perhaps it is an aspect of strange apparition effects such as I have photographed at other times in this place.
Some say that orbs are playful. Could it be that they sometimes playfully manipulate the pixels corresponding to objects near them?
The following photo was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
A Swift Orange Orb
Photo date: November 6, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this water drop photo, we see another example of the orb
centrifuge effect, in which orbs seem to speed rapidly around the
outer edges of a water drop. Usually when this happens you can't see faces in the speeding orbs very well, but you can see the orbs in the middle of the drop. Here it seems like kind of the opposite, and we can seem to recognize faces in the moving orbs.
When orbs speed around like this, they sometimes seem to be changing color as they move.
In this water drop photo, we see another example of the orb
centrifuge effect, in which orbs seem to speed rapidly around the
outer edges of a water drop. Usually when this happens you can't see faces in the speeding orbs very well, but you can see the orbs in the middle of the drop. Here it seems like kind of the opposite, and we can seem to recognize faces in the moving orbs.
When orbs speed around like this, they sometimes seem to be changing color as they move.
A Cyan Colored Orb
Photo date: November 6, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this water drop photo, we see an unusual cyan-colored orb.
In this water drop photo, we see an unusual cyan-colored orb.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Why Most Single-Color Orbs On This Site Cannot Be Explained By Known Natural Effects
Note: On 10/10/17 I updated the numerical figures cited in the first paragraph of this post.
One of the most striking aspects of the orbs shown on this site are the very strong colors of the orbs. I have labeled 1129 posts with the label “blue air orb,” although I so often get blue air orbs in my photos that I often fail to use that label because the thing photographed is so typical for me. I have on this site 170 posts labeled “orange air orb,” 171 posts labeled “pink air orb,” 449 posts labeled “purple air orb,” 79 post labeled “red air orb,” 123 posts labeled “yellow air orb,” and 158 posts labeled “green air orb.” I also have on this site 59 posts labeled “orange orb in water drop,” 4 posts labeled “purple orb in water drop,” 10 posts labeled “red orb in water drop,” 30 posts labeled “yellow orb in water drop,” and 14 posts labeled “green orb in water drop.”
One of the most striking aspects of the orbs shown on this site are the very strong colors of the orbs. I have labeled 1129 posts with the label “blue air orb,” although I so often get blue air orbs in my photos that I often fail to use that label because the thing photographed is so typical for me. I have on this site 170 posts labeled “orange air orb,” 171 posts labeled “pink air orb,” 449 posts labeled “purple air orb,” 79 post labeled “red air orb,” 123 posts labeled “yellow air orb,” and 158 posts labeled “green air orb.” I also have on this site 59 posts labeled “orange orb in water drop,” 4 posts labeled “purple orb in water drop,” 10 posts labeled “red orb in water drop,” 30 posts labeled “yellow orb in water drop,” and 14 posts labeled “green orb in water drop.”
But
according to known scientific explanations, I should have zero posts
labeled “blue air orb,” zero posts labeled “orange air orb,” zero
posts labeled “pink air orb,” zero posts labeled “purple air
orb,” zero posts labeled “red air orb,” and zero posts labeled
“yellow air orb.” I should also have zero posts showing single colors in water
drop orbs. This is because with the exception of “lens flare orbs”
produced when pointing a camera at a bright light like the sun (a
condition I am very careful to avoid), and with the exception of
tangible objects such as balls or berries, science offers no
explanation for why single-colored orbs should appear in photographs when such orbs have a color different from any color behind them.
(In this post by single-colored I mean some vivid color other than white, brown
or gray.)
Let
us look at all known explanations that attempt to explain why you
might get a color in an orb in a photograph, and see whether any of
them are sufficient to explain the colored orbs shown on this site
and many other sites.
Lens
Flare
One
way you can can produce a natural colored orb in your photo is to
point your camera at a very bright light like the sun. That can
produce some colored orbs, which would often appear in a line
stretching away from the bright light source. But it is very easy to
recognize lens flare, and lens flare cannot explain the great
majority of photos showing colored orbs (most of which were not made
when pointing towards a very bright light). Lens flare also cannot
explain any photos on this site, as I don't publish photos made
pointing towards a very bright light.
Refraction
What
about refraction? Refraction can occur when light bends within a
water drop. But refraction will not produce what looks like a
solid-color orb unless there is an object with a single color behind
a water drop. A trick used by macro photographers is to place water
drops in front of a flower or some other object, and then to take a
flash photo that shows the background object within the water drops.
But there are two reasons why refraction cannot explain any of the
single-color orbs in my photos of water drops: (1) the type of photo
I refer to requires a special macro lens, and I have used no such
lens for any of my photos; (2) I never photograph water drops in
front of colored objects or colored backgrounds. Ninety percent of my water drop photos have
used a solid black background, and the rest have used a mirrored
background.
The
only way in which you could naturally get a solid-color orb appearing
in a water drop photo using refraction would be to make water drop
photographs in front of a solid-color object or a solid-color
background, and I know of no orb photographer who does that.
As
for dust, raindrops, and water vapor particles (fog or mist), it is
the same situation as with water drops: refraction should not produce
what looks like a solid-color orb unless the orb appeared in front of
a background object or surface that had that color. Since 95% of
anomalous-looking solid-looking colored orbs on this site and other
sites are not cases of an orb with the same color as its background,
refraction is not very useful as an explanation for solid-color orbs.
There is a type of refraction in which light is broken up in a kind of prism effect. The result is something like a spectrum of colors. This effect can produce a rainbow in the sky or a cloudy area looking like a rainbow of part of a rainbow. But refraction does not produce individual orbs with particular colors such as red, orange, yellow and blue. To verify this, take a plant sprayer, set it so that makes a mist, and take some flash photos at night while spraying the sprayer. You will not see particles of different colors. You will see particles like this:
Or if you use a full-spectrum camera you will see particles like this:
There is a type of refraction in which light is broken up in a kind of prism effect. The result is something like a spectrum of colors. This effect can produce a rainbow in the sky or a cloudy area looking like a rainbow of part of a rainbow. But refraction does not produce individual orbs with particular colors such as red, orange, yellow and blue. To verify this, take a plant sprayer, set it so that makes a mist, and take some flash photos at night while spraying the sprayer. You will not see particles of different colors. You will see particles like this:
Diffraction
Diffraction
can produce a kind of kind of prism effect, in which light is broken
up into different colors. But diffraction is not useful for
explaining why orbs in photos would have solid colors. Diffraction
produces a split-up rainbow of colors, not a solid color. If you do a Google
image search for “diffraction in water drop,” you will see no
examples of water drops that look a solid color because of
diffraction.
Reflection
The
case of an object in back of a particle being shown in the particle
(reflection from behind) has already been covered under “refraction.”
What about forward reflection – light coming from in front of a
particle, striking the particle, and reflecting back into a camera
lens? Such a thing might explain solid-color orbs only if a very
bright colored light were to be reflected by such particles.
So,
for example, if you had some kind of red filter over your camera
flash, and then photographed some water drops, you might get some
red-colored water drops. Or if you had behind you a very bright blue
light, and photographed some water drops, you might see blue-colored
water drops. None of the photos taken on this site have used such
conditions, so forward reflection cannot explain the solid colors of
orbs in such photos. My photos were all taken with an ordinary flash that never had any type of filter in front of the flash that could have caused the light from the flash to be something other than normal white light. Forward reflection also cannot explain 95% of
colored orbs taken by other photographers, since very few of such
photos were taken with any bright colored light being projected
toward the area photographed (you can notice whenever that's done, as
the whole photo will match whatever color was projected). Backward
reflection (reflection from an item behind a particle causing an orb)
can only explain a solid-color orb in the the rare case when a
solid-color orb is in front of a surface or object with the same
color.
Particles
With Intrinsic Color
Conceivably
a person could get color inside water drops by photographing water
that had been colored with food coloring. But in such a case all of
the drops would look the same color. Such a hypothesis cannot explain
what is so often shown on this blog – photos of uncolored water
drops in which a few of the orbs in the drops have some particular
color, but most of the orbs do not have that color. Every single water drop photo on this blog is a photo of pure, clean, uncolored water.
Can
we explain air orbs with a single color by imagining that the
photographer has photographed particular specks of dust that have
such a color? Such an explanation is not credible. Take a damp cloth,
and go around your house or apartment, cleaning dusty areas. Then
examine the damp cloth very closely. You will not see little specks
of dust that are different colors. You will see dust that is
uniformly gray or brown in color. Pay no attention to that Internet
visual that claims to show colored dust particles, as that was done
through the unfair process of pouring vacuum cleaner dust in front of
the camera, which doesn't correspond to any photo condition that
actually occurs when photographing orbs. Dust particles suspended in the air (under any conditions remotely similar to typical photographic conditions) never appear in photographs as orbs with a vivid color.
Moire
Patterns
As
we have seen so far, there simply is no general natural explanation for why a
photographer would get solid-color orbs mysteriously appearing when
the photographer was not photographing a solid sphere-like object,
and not photographing a particle that is in front of an object or
background with the same solid color. Not having any good
explanation for the dramatic colors that appear in orb photos,
skeptics have “grasped at straws” by using the desperate
explanation of moire patterns. But this is a goofy explanation that
does not work.
A
moire pattern is an unusual effect that can be produced by the intersection of two surfaces with a recurring pattern. Mostly this
just produces an unusual kind of flickering effect, but very rarely
it can produce a kind of splitting up of light rather like
diffraction. But moire patterns do not produce solid colors. In the
very rare case when a moire pattern produces color, it produces a
faint rainbow-like effect (some examples can be seen here). There is
also no reason to think that even one in 10,000 dust particles or
water drops would have the recurring patterns that are needed to
produce a moire pattern.
Conclusion
Most
of the single-color orbs shown on this site (and similar photos shown
on other sites) have colors that are inexplicable. Excluding photos
of tangible objects such as cherries and tennis balls, and excluding lens flare for the reasons given above, there is no
known natural and general hypothesis that explains why individual
orbs in a photo would have a particular color that does not match the
color behind such an orb. A skeptic asked to explain the color
in such orbs would mention things such as reflection, refraction,
diffraction, particle colors, or moire patterns. But as we have
seen, none of those explanations works well to explain why solid-color
orbs in water drops or in the air might often have a solid color not
matching their background color.
Below is an example of one of my many photos showing inexplicable colors. We simply have no good explanation as to why a green orb and an orange orb are appearing here.
Below is an example of one of my many photos showing inexplicable colors. We simply have no good explanation as to why a green orb and an orange orb are appearing here.
Photo date: January 23, 2015
Postscript: Below is a flash photo taken on one of the rare days in New York City in which there appeared to be a thick fog or thick mist in the air. We see some natural particles, and I'm not sure whether you would call them fog particles, mist particles, or rain droplets. Notice the complete lack of color in any of the orbs (the only color being the same color as the background). We do not at all see particular orbs that are different colors. So it was for each of about 20 similar photos I took on this night. Neither reflection nor refraction nor diffraction was producing any color such as green or blue or pink or orange or yellow in any of hundreds of natural orbs I observed on this day. Such an experience supports my assertion that we currently have no explanation as to what causes the dramatic single-color orbs shown on this site.
Post-Postscript: Be very skeptical about photos you may see on the Internet that claim to show dust orbs that are colored or mist orbs that are colored. Some of these photos are made by photographing vacuum cleaner dust, which is a dense accumulation that is very different from suspended dust particles. Other photos are simply misidentified. A skeptic may get a photo showing unexplained colored orbs, and may label that as "dust orbs," even though he has no good basis for such a claim. Do not believe that any photo is actually a photo of a suspended dust particle or a suspended mist particle unless the photograph is dated, the photographer is identified, and there is a complete description of the photographic process that leaves little doubt that what is being photographed is some natural particle that the photographer claims that it is.
Mysterious Sky Speeders
Photo date: April 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken near Herald Square in New York City.
We see two objects that seem to be moving very fast. Here is a closeup of the first object, showing strong motion blur:
Here is a closeup of the second object, showing strong motion blur:
The motion blur indicates very fast motion, motion much faster than the motion of a dust particle or insect. There was no fog, mist, or precipitation on this night. But on this day there was a UFO sighting in New York City, as reported here.
The photo below was taken near Herald Square in New York City.
Translucent Orb Tags a Physical Orb
Photo date: March 19, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
There is only one centrally located physical orb in Grand Central Station -- the big "clock orb" shown above. This is the fifth photo I have taken showing a mysterious orb that seemed to be either on top of this physical orb, or right next to it. Below is a composite showing 3 of the other cases.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
Stacks of "Orb Veils"
Photo date: April 17, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken while simply photographing pure, clean water dripping against a dark background. The photo shows what this blog has shown 4 times before: stacks of mysterious "orb veils."
The photo (taken on the same day) seems to show the same phenomenon. The only difference is that while the view below is "bird's eye," above the stacks, the view above is facing the side of the stacks.
Notice the strange little pointy spikes that occur in these shapes. I count more than 30 of these.
The "veils" in the bottom picture were about 4 inches wide.
Strange veil shapes like these have been reported by other orb photographers.
The photo below was taken while simply photographing pure, clean water dripping against a dark background. The photo shows what this blog has shown 4 times before: stacks of mysterious "orb veils."
The "veils" in the bottom picture were about 4 inches wide.
Strange veil shapes like these have been reported by other orb photographers.
Cute Set of Orb Faces
Photo date: November 30, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this photo of a drop of pure, clean water, we see six orbs, at least four of which can be seen quite clearly. For many similar photos, see my posts labeled "water face effect."
In this photo of a drop of pure, clean water, we see six orbs, at least four of which can be seen quite clearly. For many similar photos, see my posts labeled "water face effect."
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Floating Purple Orbs, Small, Medium and Large
Photo date: April 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in New York City. We see purple orbs with three different sizes: small, medium, and large.
There was no fog, mist, or precipitation on this night. The largest orbs were about 20 percent of the original photo height.
The photo below was taken in New York City. We see purple orbs with three different sizes: small, medium, and large.
There was no fog, mist, or precipitation on this night. The largest orbs were about 20 percent of the original photo height.
A Cheerful Blue Face Floats Around
Photo date: January 16, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The following photo was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
Weird Energy Anomaly Near Empire State Building
Photo date: April 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
Below is a 30 second video showing a very strange-looking anomaly I photographed in front of the Empire State Building in New York. The anomaly probably has no connection to orbs, and this anomaly may well be caused by some type of earthly technology.
What I saw in the video was something unlike anything I had seen before. It looked rather as if I was photographing some weird pulsing laser beam firing from the ground up toward the sky (or coming from the sky to the ground). I have no idea what is going on here, and if any reader has an explanation, I would enjoy hearing it. I saw nothing unusual around the location where this was shot.
Below is a 30 second video showing a very strange-looking anomaly I photographed in front of the Empire State Building in New York. The anomaly probably has no connection to orbs, and this anomaly may well be caused by some type of earthly technology.
What I saw in the video was something unlike anything I had seen before. It looked rather as if I was photographing some weird pulsing laser beam firing from the ground up toward the sky (or coming from the sky to the ground). I have no idea what is going on here, and if any reader has an explanation, I would enjoy hearing it. I saw nothing unusual around the location where this was shot.
Faces in the Drip
Photo date: December 8, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this photo of a drip of pure, clean water, we seem to see quite a few orb faces. See my posts labeled "water face effect" for many similar examples of orb faces in water drips or water drops.
In this photo of a drip of pure, clean water, we seem to see quite a few orb faces. See my posts labeled "water face effect" for many similar examples of orb faces in water drips or water drops.
Orb Maintains Tranquility Amidst Swirling Energy
Photo date: November 7, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this water drop photo, we see another example of the orb
centrifuge effect, in which orbs seem to speed rapidly around the
outer edges of a water drop. This seems like a particularly
energetic example of this effect. The orb in the middle seems
to be keeping a Zen-like calm. See my posts labeled "orb centrifuge effect" for many examples of this phenomenon.
In this water drop photo, we see another example of the orb
centrifuge effect, in which orbs seem to speed rapidly around the
outer edges of a water drop. This seems like a particularly
energetic example of this effect. The orb in the middle seems
to be keeping a Zen-like calm. See my posts labeled "orb centrifuge effect" for many examples of this phenomenon.
Monday, April 27, 2015
An Orb Face in the Station
Photo date: March 19, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
Below is a closeup of the orb shown at the top right (I used the "auto-adjust colors" menu option from IrfanView). We seem to see a face.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
Orb Behind Distant Obstruction
Photo date: April 6, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in New York City.
We see a number of orbs in the sky. Below is a closeup showing the two orbs at the top left corner.
Here is a "closeup of the closeup," showing the orb on the right (I reduced the "gamma correction.")
The orb seems to be behind the distant architectural element shown at bottom. This is evidence that the orb is far away from the camera, and is not at all a speck of dust near the camera. For similar photos, see my posts labeled "air orb too distant to be dust."
The photo below was taken in New York City.
The Orbs and the Christmas Wreath
Photo date: December 22, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In this photo taken in Grand Central Station, we see an orb pair next to a Christmas wreath. Was this a paranormal "Merry Christmas" message?
In this photo taken in Grand Central Station, we see an orb pair next to a Christmas wreath. Was this a paranormal "Merry Christmas" message?
An Orange "Orb Veil" With "Orb Crescents"
Photograph: March 28, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In the photo below (taken while photographing drops of pure, clean water), we see strange orb-related phenomena: a sheetlike "orb veil," and orb crescents that look like little crescent moons. See my posts labeled "orb veil" and "orb crescent" for similar photos. There are three paranormal-looking things here: the crescents, the orb veil, and the orange color. There is no known reason why the color orange should be appearing while photographing ordinary water drops against a dark background.
In the photo below (taken while photographing drops of pure, clean water), we see strange orb-related phenomena: a sheetlike "orb veil," and orb crescents that look like little crescent moons. See my posts labeled "orb veil" and "orb crescent" for similar photos. There are three paranormal-looking things here: the crescents, the orb veil, and the orange color. There is no known reason why the color orange should be appearing while photographing ordinary water drops against a dark background.
An Orange Orb With a Large Aura
Photo date: November 5, 2014. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
This photo of a drop of pure, clean water shows two cheerful-looking orbs. The orange orb seems to have a pronounced aura around it.
This photo of a drop of pure, clean water shows two cheerful-looking orbs. The orange orb seems to have a pronounced aura around it.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Steeple Stumper
Photo date: April 21, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken of a church steeple in New York City. We see a bunch of unexplained orbs around the steeple, one of them yellow, and another purple. None of these objects was the moon, as there was only something like a half moon on this night.
There was no rain, mist, or fog on this evening (although there was some rain in the morning). The photo below was taken at the same time.
The photo below was taken of a church steeple in New York City. We see a bunch of unexplained orbs around the steeple, one of them yellow, and another purple. None of these objects was the moon, as there was only something like a half moon on this night.
Luminous Green Crowd Mingler
Photo date: March 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see a mysterious orb amidst the commuters. Is he taking a closeup look?
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see a mysterious orb amidst the commuters. Is he taking a closeup look?
Line of Mystery
Photo date: March 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see about 8 orbs forming a line stretching across the station. It's another example of orbs seeming to form nonrandom arrangements.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. We see about 8 orbs forming a line stretching across the station. It's another example of orbs seeming to form nonrandom arrangements.
Fabulous Flipping Orbs
Photo date: April 23, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
On this date I noticed something I hadn't seen before while photographing water drops falling in front of a mirror. I saw the orbs I normally see, but I also saw what looked like flattened orbs.
Here is the first example.
In the top of this photo, I see something very strange I have rarely or never seen before.
The next photo shows something similar.
Here is one more example:
On this date I noticed something I hadn't seen before while photographing water drops falling in front of a mirror. I saw the orbs I normally see, but I also saw what looked like flattened orbs.
Here is the first example.
The next photo shows something similar.
Colorful Orb Faces
Photo date: February 9, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
In the photo below, we see a drip of pure, clean water that includes a column of orb faces, some of which are quite colorful.
On the same day I got the photo below, which shows a colorful orange orb face.
In the photo below, we see a drip of pure, clean water that includes a column of orb faces, some of which are quite colorful.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Purple and Perplexing
Photo date: April 6, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
Below are 4 photos of mysterious purple orbs floating around in the skies of Manhattan. The first photo was taken in front of the Chrysler Building.
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The second photo was taken somewhere else in Manhattan.
The third photo was taken in front of the Chrysler Building.
There was no precipitation, fog or mist on this night, and the air quality was
listed as "moderate" on airnow.gov, with a level of 55 that was almost
"good" (49 or less).
Here's one more, showing purple orbs hovering near some lighted windows. Do you think the orbs were curiosity seekers peeking through the windows?
Below are 4 photos of mysterious purple orbs floating around in the skies of Manhattan. The first photo was taken in front of the Chrysler Building.
Here's one more, showing purple orbs hovering near some lighted windows. Do you think the orbs were curiosity seekers peeking through the windows?
Speeding Enigma
Photo date: March 26, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
A closeup of the blue anomaly in the center shows a double image of a single object, the kind of thing you get when a camera shows two position states of an object moving very fast. We seem to see what looks rather like a face, but since we cannot see a mouth, I will not label this as an orb face.
The photo below was taken in Grand Central Station in New York.
The Orbs Love This Tree
Photo date: March 16, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.
The photo below was taken in front of a very old house in New York City. We see several orbs in a tree.
The photo below was taken in front of the same house on the same day, two minutes later. We see again several orbs in the tree, but in a different position. There are also some orbs hanging around the gate in front of the tree.
This is the same spot I took pictures previously showing a thick ghostly mist. Maybe there is something special about this house. There was no mist, fog, or precipitation on this night.
The photo below was taken in front of a very old house in New York City. We see several orbs in a tree.
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