Crooked Mile Orb

Well said by all. I forgot to mention as well that this pic was taken with a camera phone. CC can comment on whether the lens on a camera phone creates this type of scenario as well as other possibilities.

I would only post an orb pic for Maria. Lol. We couldn't get her signed in the other night and now I have an orb photo to my discredit.

CC, we'll get some strobes out there and cook the place with off camera lighting and see what happens. Lol.

Actually lens flare or in this case more aptly named "Ghosting" is caused by a bright source of light passing through the camera's lens optics and hitting the photographic or photoelectric surface. This is the surface which replaces the "FILM". When it hits this surface some small percentage is reflected back away from the photographic surface. This reflected light then in turn hits the back of the lens optics.

From there what happens is entirely dependant on several factors. First the shape of the rear of the lens optics. Second the angle at which it hits these optics. Third the distance of those optics from the photographic surface. And finally the relative strength of the reflected light.

If the angle, distance and strength are correct the light can bounce back and forth several times creating a number of distinct and unique images. Also, since in most cases there is an Infrared filter coating directly above the photographic surface, it filters out a portion of the reflected light in the low spectrum. (So it filters out the reds)

The blues are much higher frequency and so they don't reflect as easily, which leaves the middle area which is green and sometimes yellow.

Another scenario with the colors can be that the InfraRed filter itself reflects the light. Depending on which surface (1st or 2nd) of the filter reflects the light the low end frequencies can either be filtered or absorbed and the remaining (red) reflected. Which is why sometimes you'll see reddish lens flares.

Likewise the optics can sometimes have a ultraviolet filter, in which case you could get a blueish lens flare or Ghosting image. There are a variety of lens coatings, all of which can play a part when light starts reflecting back and forth through the lens arrays.

In cases of cell phones, they use a very cheap and minimal optic system with oddly shaped lenses which have very acute angles. Also the distance from the lens to the photographic surface is often less than 1mm. And there is generally a IR filter directly under the inner lens surface. All this makes these a prime ground for flares or ghosting images.

Not to create a pun but I hope I've been able to shed at least some light on the subject. Oh and by the way, the word "Bright" as used above is relative. Remember the camera compensates for lighting conditions, so if most of the images has very little light it doesn't take much to saturate a small area.

Quick likely explanation of the green color: Lens flare still creates a circle of confusion that the camera has to deal with. The camera tries to process the background into the digital mistake. The background is a shade of green. The camera reduces the green to a simpler color pallette and voila.

Still it is neater than most - but anytime a light source is in the background lens flare becomes a possibility that we should consider.

Great analysis by both! I would agree with lens flare here in my opinion.

Interesting pic, but I would also agree with lens flare...

I am probably one of the first people to dismiss orbs. I agree with CrystalCross that the color does match typical lens flare green color. It does have a similar alignment with a lighted area. 9 I usually do a ring analysis as well, and it matches up with 9 rings, confirming that the path is very likely the light path creating the "orb". What throws me off, is green usually happens when the light is very intense or close to the side of the lens, and it seems like neither in this photo unless a rogue sun beam is hitting the side of the lens off camera from the South West position of the photo taker.

First off I'll say this. It passes the basic standard "ORB" test as you yourself probably already know.

Although the EXIF data still was not on the image, I know the source personally and its a very trusted source. (Maria) So as far as the image being authentic and unmodified I know I can personally vouch for this source.

No flash was used, so that eliminates the possibility of a "Dust" or particle or reflected light orb. Also the orb seems to have self-illuminating properties.

On the negative side, although the orb seems to be self-luminous, I don't see any evidence on the adjacent objects that there is any reflective illumination from the orb. The only evidence that the orb exists is from the orb itself.

In my opinion there are two possible options here.

1. This is an orb caused by a lens flare from the bright light in the upper right of the image reflecting off the internal lens surfaces within the camera. This could account for the green appearance.
2. This is a genuine self-illuminating orb caused by some short term burst of energy which was caught on "Film"

My personal opinion, I tend to lean towards the lens flare. I was actually hoping for a genuine 1% orb. And I was trying to prove that the semi-circular direction of the orb was not pointing the the mid-point of the lens. But as I was bisecting the mid-line of the orb and creating a ray in the direction of the orb's semi-circle I realized that the ray was DIRECTLY pointing at the source of light on the right side. I pulled up quite a few examples of lens flares from Google and in each case the direction of the semi-circle of the lens flare was a direct line to the source of light causing the lens flare.

CC, this is the image that you asked Maria to post, which was taken in Crooked Mile.

We couldn't get Maria's password to work, so I'm posting under Matrix.

Folks, this orb was taken in Crooked Mile cemetery and may be part of the 1% that is different from other orbs.

Take a look and let us know what you think.