The Orb Project is an outstanding look at a phenomenon that seems to be too far out of the reality box for Newtonian scientific understanding and therefore is criticized as such. For many people it is just too hard to believe that some sort of life form that is possibly conscious could exist outside the framework of scientific materialism. The Amazon.com review by A. Scientist, not willing to give his name, is an example of a limited perspective by a person who obviously didn't even bother to read the book. If he or she had read it they would find all of their arguments clearly refuted. Granted, if you shake a rug for dust or spritz the air with water when you digitally photograph you will get a photo of a cloud of dust or water, but the orbs of various colors and shapes will not be in the photo.
The forward was written by William A. Tiller, Ph.D., who is `a scientist' and professor emeritus from Stanford University. The book's authors are also highly credentialed, with Klaus Heinemann, Ph.D., holding his degree in experimental physics and who worked for many years at NASA, UCLA, and as a research professor at Stanford University. Miceal Ledwith, D.D., LL.D., was the president of Maynooth College in Ireland for ten years. These people know the difference between dust, moisture and lens flares from orbs.
When Drs. Tiller, Heinemann, and Ledwith presented their findings in 2007 at The Orbs Conference in Sedona, Arizona, they were greeted by over 300 delegates from around the world who had been photographing the orbs with infrared, video, 35mm, as well as digital cameras. Many of the pictures showed orbs at special gatherings such a christenings, weddings, various celebrations, and around animals and children. The delegates by and large understood the orbs to be benevolent and conscious.
This book could mislead the public, particularly those who are unfamiliar with science and digital camera artifacts, into thinking that dust is a paranormal phenomenon. The authors are evidently unfamiliar with digital cameras and camera artifacts, and claim these sometimes exotic-looking artifacts are "spiritual" in nature. The authors need to thoroughly test natural explanations before invoking supernatural explanations.
In reality, most "orbs" are small particles out of focus within about a foot or so of the lens, reflecting the camera's flash. The majority of the "orbs" in this book can be easily reproduced by shaking a dust cloth or spraying water in front of a digital point and shoot camera. You can easily reproduce orbs that look identical to the one on the front cover with a water spray, try it.
Other examples of "orbs" and streaks in the book can also be easily explained. Streaks are caused by camera motion in dark surroundings when the lens is open longer than usual. Fogs can be the photographer's breath condensation. Additional "orbs" shown are small light sources out of focus, and well known camera artifacts that produce colored halos, bright white spots, and enlargement of bright lights. If you look carefully, you can see faint traces of complete orbs over a light surface in photographs supposedly showing that an orb is "behind" the lighter object. Only a tiny fraction of the effects in the book are not easily explainable. Even then, it does not imply a spiritual nature, rather need for further scrutiny before accepting them as anomalous.
Unfortunately the authors "spiritualize" these common camera artifacts applying paranormal meaning they do not merit. The authors claim to be able to distinguish "true" orbs from dust and artifacts based on differences between various orbs in pictures. However, those familiar with cameras and optics can easily determine that ALL of the orbs in the example are small particles. The differences in appearance can be explained by proximity to the lens and size and reflectiveness of the particles. If you are curious or skeptical, try taking the book to a photography store, or search the internet for "orbs". There are several web sites that offer very detailed explanations.
The book uses words that may sound scientific, but try looking up some of the terms in Wikipedia or other reference sources. You will find many misused words and scientific concepts. It would be an important breakthrough if a method was discovered to clearly validate the existence of the paranormal, but small particles in front of a camera's lens is not it. Though the authors have some fine credentials, and have been successful in their work, this book demonstrates that an advanced degree does not guarantee knowledge in fields outside of their discipline.
