Transparency of the Flag-Tagging Orb

Photo date: February 22, 2016. Photographer: Mark Mahin.

The photo below was taken in Grand Central Terminal in New York. We see a big orb floating in front of the US flag.  How can we tell that this is not a dust particle? For one thing, the orb is too big to be such a thing. For another thing, dust blocks light and bends light rays that pass through it. Try throwing around some dust, and photographing it as it falls through the air. You will never see transparency like this, in which you can see all the details behind the orb, without any distortion.

I have photographed very many transparent orbs like this at this location, as you can see by looking at my 224 posts labeled "transparent orb."