Fake ghost orbs and researcher error can be problems for all ghost hunters. We regularly test sources of false orbs, to see if we can learn anything new from them. The photo at left shows how a lawn sprinkler looks from a distance of about three feet, with a flash camera. For our experiments, we used a FujiFilm FinePix A345, which rates highly for low-light photography.

Nobody is likely to think that those dots of light are ghost orbs.

Out of about 20 photos taken around the sprinklers, only one produced ghostlike orbs. That picture is shown at right.

The orbs could be from the water. They could also be lens flares from the lamp. Or, the orbs may be a mix of both… or something else altogether.

(We recently heard a rumor that these condos were built over an old Indian burial ground. It’s probably a joke.)

In general, these lawn sprinklers produce fine, regular-sized water droplets that are easy to distinguish from ghost orbs.

With the exception of the orbs in our second photo, above, the water did not produce ‘orbs’ at all. We see only a fine pattern of small, irregular water droplets.

It’s always important to avoid water sources when taking ghost research pictures.

However, even in the full-size image–shown at right–the water droplets aren’t large or round enough to confuse with ghost orbs.

We believe that it’s far more important to watch for lights such as the lamp in the second photo, above. And, ghost researchers routinely avoid reflective surfaces as well.

Light sources are far more likely to produce false ghost orbs.