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Ghosts & Monsters

A Paranormal Field Guide

How to Tell the Difference between a Ghost Light and an Orb

How to Tell the Difference between a Ghost Light and an Orb

April 18, 2013 Jacob 'Jake' Rice

Okay, we were in the non-believing ghost light/orb phenomena, but there really are some instances when an orb is actually ghostly activity.

About Ghostly Lights

How do you tell the difference?

Well, there are a quite a few characteristics to determine if it’s a ghost light or an orb.

The biggest difference is the color variations and transparency

debunkable orb pic
Orbs that are transparent or semi-transparent, and have sphere-like structures inside them, are pollen or other plant spores. Orbs with streaks are likely water droplets.

Orbs are usually semi-transparent and white. They seem to be scattered across your film. Most orbs are not seen by the naked eye, either.

That’s not the case with a ghost light. Ghost lights are usually an opaque yellow, red, orange or blue. This matches the information we have about the lights at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery.

Here are the common characteristics of a ghost light:

  • They appear in remote areas
  • They’re usually seen from a distance – never close up
  • They interact with noise and other lights
  • They can cause sound like humming or buzzing
  • They almost always appear in conjunction with an intelligent haunting

Ghost lights are fairly easy to debunk, too. In most cases, they’re car headlights or naturally occurring gas that burns above ground (especially in swampy areas).

Where can you find ghost lights?

In most cases, cemeteries, ancient stone circles – like Stonehenge – or burial monuments have them. Many scientists say they’re just gas escaping from faults. It’s true that they seem to cluster along fault lines, so there could be some merit to it. Others say the lights are connected to extraterrestrial activity. In Chicagoland, you can find them at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery near Midlothian, Illinois.

Jacob 'Jake' Rice

Jacob Rice began investigating and writing about the paranormal in 2007. He has published 3 books on ghost hunting, ghost stories and paranormal protection. His podcast, Ghostly Activities, dives into these topics even more. You can also watch his ghost hunts on the Ghostly Activities YouTube channel. He lives in Olympia, Washington.

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ghostly how-to
ghost hunting, ghost lights, ghosts, orbs

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2 thoughts on “How to Tell the Difference between a Ghost Light and an Orb”

  1. Jacob Rice says:
    December 20, 2018 at 9:44 am

    Hi Audrey, thanks for commenting. We addressed how to compare/contrast the phenomena as dust/pollen/bugs. BGC’s also notorious for its glowing lights that move like a drone. That’s something dust wouldn’t do. Dust falls like snowflakes if you use IR light. Specifically to Bachelor’s Grove, most orbs I’ve reviewed have been pollen or bugs. We’ve also written another post on orbs, which is far more critical than this post. You can find it here:

    • https://www.ghostlyactivities.com/ghost-orbs/

    I do agree with you that most orbs are dust, pollen, bugs or moisture captured with cameras using flares. But, dust doesn’t explain the glowing lights that move like drones and follow you along the path. You can read about it in Ursula Bielski’s book on BGC.

  2. audrey says:
    December 20, 2018 at 8:45 am

    you know that there is somthing called dust? the semetery has been there for a 185 years obviosly its going to have dust. ist outside and most dust comes from outside. the light proves my piont since if you put dust in the light it is going to show

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