Orbs in the picture above were created by dust, notice the broken glass in the windows.

One of the most controversial subjects in paranormal research revolves around orbs. They are circular balls of light which appear in photographs. They can be different sizes ranging from golfball-size to as large as a basketball. They often are different colors such as red, pink, green, or blue but most commonly are white. What are they? There are those who believe orbs are dust or other optical anomalies such as reflections on the lenses, pixelation on a digital camera, or a flash too close to the lens of the camera. Others insist they are a form of energy. The truth is both sides of this debate can be right. The question is how do you know when it's an energy orb and not just dust or something else?

PROS has found several ways to determine the nature of orbs that are potentially paranormal. We look to see if the same orb shows up in more than one photo from the same camera. If the orb is a particle of dust it would not be seen repeatedly in a series of photos. We also note if two or more cameras can capture the same orb in the same location. The movement is also tracked within an area. Two other indicators that the orb may be truly anomalous is if it is partially obscured (and thereby indicating distance from the lens) or in movement. Perhaps some of the better potential correlation would be an EMF activation or an EVP that has been captured simultaneously when orbs are photographed or videotaped. Activations of an EMF detector or EVP's that coincide with the appearance of orbs are noted as anomalies. An orb may also move against the present air current or in some oposite direction this is a sign you may have more than dust. A good example of this is the video our friends at COPS captured at our research site. A black figure is seen passing in front of the video camera, afterwards the orbs which are created by dust are seen to follow the air current. Watch the directions from which the orbs flow. Dust will follow the air current.

Colors of orbs can vary as stated above. Some people believe this reflects the mood or emotional body of the energy. PROS has not been able confirm this belief but we are in the process of documenting evidence that orbs can react to requests of the investigator. There are many examples of this in several photos on this web site. The protocol for this has been to locate an area where the orbs are predominate. One person will then vocally ask the energy to come closer by holding out his or her hands and asking the energy to touch them. We have numerous photos that document the balls of light moving toward the control subject and often touching him or her.

We do know that energy can "ball up" much like a liquid when spilled in a gravity-free environment. People have witnessed ball lightning since the dawn of time. Perhaps that is all orbs are . . . some type of energy. But why are they associated with the paranormal? The answer lies in the fact that there are many documented anomalies that accompany their presence. The PROS team seems to be able to get some of these energies to respond to us. We have documented orbs that move or change size upon suggestion. PROS has captured some incredible video where cold spots were felt and the video camera recorded orbs, and then two EMF detectors activated.  There are also examples of orbs which have proven to be dust reflections in the lens of digital media. It's basically up to the researcher to determine the true nature of the orbs by experimenting and documenting their evidence.

On our investigations page you can view an orb that conforms to the back of one of our guests. This picture can be viewed on our "County Line" page. What is interesting is that the young lady remarked her back was getting cold just before the picture was taken. Most investigators would have mostly likely dismissed the orbs as dust due to the environment.The picture comes to us from our friends at COPS. You can visit them from our links page.