More Notes & Comments on Ultraviolet Light for Paranormal Photographers

From Introduction to Research in Ultraviolet Photobiology by John Jagger, copyright 1967, Prentice Hall:

Sir Isaac Newton in 1666 placed a glass prism in a small beam of sunlight and thus began the first scientific studies of the spectrum of colors in white light. This radiation is called visible light. It includes wavelengths in the range 3800-7800 angstroms (A), the limits being determined by average human visual sensitivity {1}. In the year 1800, Sir William Herschel placed a thermometer in the dark region just beyond the red end (7800 A) of the spectrum and found that the apparent temperature there was higher than anywhere in the visible spectrum. Thus was discovered infrared radiation. In the following year, J.W. Ritter, observing the blackening of silver chloride {2}, found that the effect of the dark region beyond the violet end (3800 A) of the spectrum was greater than anywhere in the visible spectrum and thus discovered ultraviolet radiation (UV).

By the end of the 19th century it had been found that visible light, infrared radiation, and UV were only a small part of the vast spectrum of electomagnetic radiation which includes, in order of decreasing energy, gamma, X, UV, visible, infrared, radar, and radio radiations (see Fig. 1a).

X rays and more energetic radiations can ionize atoms and molecules (cause them to acquire a charge by addition or removal of electrons) and are therefore referred to as ionizing radiations. The borderline between X rays and UV is not clear-cut . . . we will consider the UV radiation to stop at about 1000A, where practically all atoms and molecules can be ionized. Thus, for most of our purposes, UV may be considered to be nonionizing radiation.

Both air and water absorb UV below about 1900 A, and the region from 1000-1900 A is therefore called the extreme- or vacuum-ultraviolet region, since experiments in this region usually must be conducted in a vacuum. Atmospheric ozone cuts off solar UV at about 3000 A, and provides for separation of the remaining UV region into the far-ultraviolet (1900-3000A) and near-ultraviolet* (3000-3800 A) regions. It is probably no accident that, precisely at the wavelength at which the atmosphere cuts off solar radiation, the proteins and nucleic acids, molecules of prime importance to life, begin to absorb and be damaged by that radiation.

* These definitions are far from being universal. Physicists often call radiation in the region 1900-3800 A "near-ultraviolet" and in the region 40-1900 A "far-ultraviolet." Photobiologists may refer to radiation in the region 2800-3150 A as "middle-ultraviolet", because of the erythemal effects on skin. {3}

Here's a diagram of the passband characteristics for my UV transmission filter. The UV wavelengths that it passes are almost entirely restricted to the 300-400 nm range. This correlates to the 3000-4000 Angstrom range in the EM spectrum diagram above which tells us that a small percentage of visible violet light will pass through this filter. Note that this filter also passes a limited range of infrared, however ordinary film is not sensitive to infrared so that can't be responsible for the images in question.

Below are a series of questions and comments from Karl Balliet with Jim Hale's responses (shown in red).

>I have been studying Jim  Hale's report on his Hawkeye project, and have some questions and comments about it.
First, could the orbs and blue streaks be caused by something other than ultraviolet light?
Perhaps by an as yet unrecognized form of energy that is not true ultraviolet light but which shares many of its characteristics?

>I think that a VERY significant question here is: Why did the camera "see" something  that the person who took the picture did not see? If I remember correctly, in other pictures,  by other photographers, the blue forms were also not seen by the person taking the picture. Can human eyes detect U.V.  light?
By definition, the realm of ultraviolet light begins where normal human perception of visible light ends. We can't see UV light but film is very sensitive to it. These questions were the basis for my original speculation that UV might be the cause for certain mysterious photo images.

>Arc welding produces U.V., light (which is why welders have to wear masks to screen it out.) One can see a blue light from the welding, but I don't know how much of this is, if any, is U.V.
Arc welding produces a wide spectrum of light including UV, visible light and infrared but again, the light that you can see from an arc welder is not the UV part. Similarly, eye protection must be worn during a total solar eclipse to protect your eyes from the coronal UV radiation which is still present even though virtually all visible light from the sun has been blocked.

>Would a picture of a welding arc show anything like the orbs that are sometimes found?
Good question, we could try taking some photos around a welder using the UV transmission filter.

>What other types of light or energy would be detected by photographic film, but not by the human eye? X-rays, gamma rays others?
X rays and radioacticvity from uranium were actually discovered due their effects on photographic film and of course this effect is routinely used in medicine and industry. Scientists use photo emulsion coated plates to record the behavior of high-energy particles in cloud chambers and accelerators. Not all such particles show up directly on film however their presence and behavior can be inferred by the reactionary movements of the particles that do.

>When a high-energy cosmic ray comes into the earth's atmosphere and hits a particle it reacts with a high energy release. Would this show on a film, and if so, what would it look like? (This could not explain blue lines etc).
It would with the right equipment, see below.

From The Particle Explosion by Close, Marten and Sutton, Oxford University Press 1987: A very high energy cosmic ray iron nucleus shoots into some photographic emulsion and collides with a silver or a bromide nucleus to produce a tremendous jet of about 850 mesons.

>What other possible natural sources of U.V. light, or other forms of energy, are there?
The sun for one, and this would include reflected sunlight, however UV from sunlight passing therough a glass window would be greatly reduced. (Don't know how much if any UV reflected from the moon makes it through the atmosphere.) Camera flash units (Xenon type) produce UV but this is usually suppressed to some extent by special coatings. Ordinary incandescent bulbs and flourescent lamps produce some but relatively little UV, it takes a very extended eposure time for these to affect film when the UV pass filter is used. Projection lights, "black lights" and full-spectrum lights (including some aquarium lamps and gro-lamps for example), tanning lamps and possibly certain UV medical lamps might be encountered in ordinary settings, and of course the previously mentioned light from arc welders. Otherwise there aren't too many common sources of strong UV.

>Would an extremely small point source of high energy produce an orb and/or a surrounding glow?
I think so, of course this would depend on the distance, exposure time, camera and film etc.

>What was the exposure time for the picture that showed two orbs? If was more than fraction of a second, the orbs either were not moving, or the duration of the light  must have been very short.
The exposure time was a few seconds, however I don't know just how long the orbs were actually present during the exposure period. I believe that these things move in a pulsing or oscillatory fashion whereby they appear/disappear/reappear very rapidly.

>I presume one cannot determine the intensity of the light source from the picture. If it is a very intense light, then it should show up on the film in a pinhole camera.
Since we don't know the distance and duration of the phenomenon in the picture we can't determine any specifics but I'd say it was pretty close and pretty intense. The one at the Exchange Hotel probably would have showed up on a pinhole camera.

>A rough idea of the light intensity might be obtained by putting strips of inert film, having varying degrees of transmission of U.V., across the unexposed film, before exposing it. The amount of interference that reduced and/or stopped the registration of the light would be an indication of its intensity.
Something like this could be done by "piggybacking" multiple filters with known transmission characteristics. Ideally multiple cameras using different sets of such filters could yield extremely valuable information if they captured the same phenomenon simultaneously.

>Were any other measurements made in the rooms where the orbs etc. were detected?  EMF, ultrasound, magnetometer etc.?
Although nothing unusual was observed at the exact time these photos were taken, we did get transient EMF spikes on our meters, as well as other unusual electrical fluctuations/disruptions at both of the locations during our investigations. The Roanoke location yielded significant results with my ultrasound equipment, the Exchange Hotel had prevailing infrasound vibrations (didn't have the infrasound technology at time of the Roanoke trip). And of course occupants had reported a variety of unexplained phenomenon including auditory and visual experiences at both locations.

>Would it be worthwhile to use a radiation detector?  
Couldn't hurt.

Should some film be exposed to various types of radiation:  X-rays, radar, gamma rays  radioactive decay etc. to see what sort of images would be obtained?
Maybe so, although we could probably find good examples of these with a little research.

Would it be possible  to determine the wave length of the  light?  To get a spectrogram of it?
I don't think this is possible with the already recorded phenomenon except to say that it had to be within the passband of the UV transmission filter. (See diagram above.) I suppose that X and Gamma radiation would get through too, this would be a good question for the manufacturer. Passband filters are available with a great variety of transmission characteristics so by using different combinations it should in principle be possible to determine the spectrum of this type of phenomenon with a high degree of accuracy. The only problem is getting the things to pose for us when we want them to.

>I think Hawkeye  is a great project. This is "the way to go".
Thanks, I think it's definitely on a track with lots of potential for serious research.

During a recent presentation by the VGHRS in Chesterfield County, we were shown photographs by two different groups of people who had recorded numerous images on film that seem to belong to the category of UV energy phenomena. One gentleman had a stack of perhaps 30 or more pictures that had been taken with different cameras over several years. Each of these pictures showed the oscillating bluish-white energy stream moving in close proximity to his son. The family also reported a range of apparent paranormal activity, much of it seemingly centered around the son.

The picture below was taken by a lady whose brother lived in the house shown and she says that several people had experienced a variety of unexplained occurences there. This shot is especially remarkable in that it shows an energy beam moving through a doorway, then between and around some trees and extending well out into the yard. Notice that it was broad daylight, the photographer tells me that the camera she used did not even have a flash attachment so none was used.