Within Insects
Why Night Cameras Create UFO Orbs
Night cameras can light up insects, dust and droplets near the lens until ordinary particles look like self-lit UFO orbs.
On this page
- Infrared light and reflective particles
- Why compression makes blobs look stranger
- Clues from doorbell and trail camera footage
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Among the most common camera-based sources of UFO reports are the glowing “orbs” frequently captured by doorbell cameras at night. These luminous spheres often appear to float intelligently, change direction abruptly, accelerate, hover, or even seem to emit their own light. To viewers unfamiliar with how night-vision systems work, the footage can resemble a small unidentified craft or an unexplained aerial phenomenon.
In most documented cases, however, the orb is not a distant object at all. It is typically an insect, spider silk strand, dust particle, pollen grain, water droplet, or other small object passing extremely close to the camera lens. The combination of infrared illumination, shallow focus, digital compression, and the geometry of near-lens imaging can transform ordinary nearby objects into apparently self-luminous UFO-like spheres. Security-camera manufacturers, installers, and technical support departments routinely identify these effects as normal artefacts of night-vision imaging rather than evidence of unusual airborne objects. [cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more… [SimpliSafe Support Home]support.simplisafe.comBackscatter happens when dust, water droplets, or other particles are present on or very close to…Read more…
Within the broader category of UFO reports caused by insects and nearby objects on camera, doorbell-camera orb footage is particularly important because modern home-security systems are widespread, continuously recording, and optimised for detecting motion rather than accurately identifying tiny objects close to the lens.
Why Night Cameras Turn Tiny Insects into Bright Orbs
The central mechanism is infrared illumination.
Most doorbell cameras and security cameras switch into night mode after dark. In this mode, infrared LEDs positioned around the lens emit light invisible to human eyes but readily detected by the camera sensor. This allows the camera to record images in near darkness. Security-camera manufacturers and technical documentation consistently note that particles near the lens can strongly reflect this infrared light back into the camera. [SimpliSafe Support Home]support.simplisafe.comBackscatter happens when dust, water droplets, or other particles are present on or very close to…Read more… [2cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more…
When a small insect flies only a few centimetres from the lens, several things happen simultaneously:
- The insect receives intense illumination from nearby infrared LEDs.
- The camera is focused on the porch, driveway, or street rather than on the insect.
- The insect becomes badly out of focus.
- The reflected infrared light spreads across multiple pixels.
Instead of recording a recognisable moth or gnat, the camera records a diffuse glowing disc. Because the actual body is unresolved, viewers perceive a luminous orb rather than an insect. Security-camera support documentation commonly describes this effect as “backscatter” or “near-camera reflection.” [SimpliSafe Support Home]support.simplisafe.comBackscatter happens when dust, water droplets, or other particles are present on or very close to…Read more… [wikipedia]WikipediaBackscatter (photographyBackscatter (photography The resulting orb often appears larger than the insect itself by orders of magnitude. A tiny insect only millimetres across can generate a glowing object that seems the size of a ball or even a distant aircraft light when viewed in recorded footage.
Infrared Light and Reflective Particles
Infrared lighting explains why orb reports increase dramatically at night.
During daylight, insects remain visible as insects because the scene is brightly illuminated and the camera can resolve more detail. At night, the infrared LEDs become the dominant light source. Objects very close to the camera receive proportionally more illumination than objects farther away because of their proximity to the LEDs. [cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more…
Technical discussions of orb artefacts consistently identify several common reflectors:
- Flying insects such as moths, flies, gnats, and beetles.
- Spider silk drifting across the lens.
- Dust particles.
- Pollen.
- Moisture droplets.
- Rain mist and fog droplets. SafeStreets Smart Home Alarm Systems [3eufy]eufy.comorbs on security cameraeufyUnderstanding Orbs on Security Camera11 Nov 2025 — Environmental Factors: The most common cause of orbs is dust particles, pollen, or… [3cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more…
Some insects appear especially bright because their wings and body surfaces can reflect infrared light efficiently. Users of night-vision security systems frequently report that bugs become glowing blobs rather than recognisable insects when illuminated by infrared LEDs. [Wyze Forum]forums.wyze.comForum Can anyone explain what this glowing thing is?Cameras16 Jul 2020 — Seriously, some types of things (eg bugs) are extremely reflective of IR light and thus present a fuzzy glow in nigh…
This effect is not unique to security cameras. Similar optical behaviour is well known in photography, where flash reflections from nearby particles create circular artefacts known as backscatter. The same underlying geometry applies to infrared night-vision cameras. [Wikipedia]WikipediaBackscatter (photographyBackscatter (photography
Why the Orb Seems to Move Intelligently
One reason orb footage sometimes persuades viewers is that the objects rarely move in straight lines.
A dust particle, insect, or strand of silk near a camera is affected by tiny air currents, turbulence, thermal updrafts, wingbeats, and aerodynamic drag. As a result, its path may include loops, curves, zigzags, pauses, and sudden changes in direction.
Viewed without scale information, these motions can appear purposeful.
A useful example comes from discussions among camera users who initially suspected paranormal explanations because the orbs followed curved and looping trajectories. Informal experiments described by users showed that ordinary airborne particles disturbed by airflow can produce surprisingly complex motion patterns. [Wyze Forum]forums.wyze.comForum Can anyone explain what this glowing thing is?Cameras16 Jul 2020 — Seriously, some types of things (eg bugs) are extremely reflective of IR light and thus present a fuzzy glow in nigh…
The illusion becomes stronger because viewers unconsciously assume the orb is far away. Once that assumption is made, a small curve by a nearby insect is mentally transformed into a huge manoeuvre by a distant object.
In reality, an insect travelling a few centimetres across the camera’s field of view can appear to execute a dramatic aerial movement that would seem extraordinary if interpreted as a distant craft.
Why Compression Makes Blobs Look Stranger
Modern doorbell cameras are not scientific imaging instruments.
To conserve storage and bandwidth, they employ aggressive video compression, noise reduction, sharpening algorithms, and motion-triggered recording systems. These features are useful for identifying visitors and intruders but can distort small, fast-moving objects.
When a glowing insect occupies only a handful of pixels, compression algorithms may smooth its edges, merge neighbouring pixels, and exaggerate brightness differences. The result can be a cleaner-looking orb than actually existed in front of the lens. [eufy]eufy.comorbs on security cameraeufyUnderstanding Orbs on Security Camera11 Nov 2025 — Environmental Factors: The most common cause of orbs is dust particles, pollen, or…
Compression can also produce:
- Pulsing brightness.
- Apparent shape changes.
- Brief trails.
- Flickering edges.
- Sudden disappearances and reappearances.
To viewers, these artefacts may suggest that the orb is changing energy output, cloaking itself, or behaving unusually. In reality, the camera is struggling to encode a tiny, bright, rapidly moving object.
The same problem affects online reposts. Videos shared on social media often undergo multiple rounds of recompression, further degrading fine detail and making identification more difficult.
The Spider-Web Connection
One of the most persistent sources of orb reports involves spiders.
Security installers routinely note that spiders are attracted to areas around cameras because insects gather near infrared illumination. The increased insect activity provides a food source. As a result, spiders frequently build webs near doorbell cameras and surveillance cameras. [Facebook]facebook.comFacebookBarri GhaiSpiders are attracted to the bugs drawn to the infrared light from your camera, which can obstruct visibility and trigg…
When strands of silk drift in front of the lens, they can reflect infrared light intensely. Depending on focus and movement, the silk may appear as:
- Floating glowing spheres. [instagram.com]instagram.coma spider photobombing your IR sensors! Have you caught any weird…
- Bright streaks.
- Pulsing lights.
- Slowly drifting blobs.
Spider silk is particularly deceptive because it can remain attached at one end while moving in the wind. This can create apparent hovering behaviour that resembles a controlled object maintaining position in space.
Many “mysterious orb” clips later traced to spider webs exhibit exactly this pattern: slow oscillation, periodic brightening, and movement tied to airflow rather than independent flight.
Clues from Doorbell and Trail Camera Footage
Several recurring clues strongly favour a nearby insect explanation over a genuinely distant unidentified object.
First, the orb often appears suddenly from the edge of the frame and disappears just as abruptly. This is consistent with a nearby object entering and leaving the narrow zone where infrared illumination is strongest. [cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more…
Second, the orb frequently lacks any interaction with background scenery. It passes in front of houses, trees, fences, or vehicles without casting shadows, producing reflections, or showing any measurable distance relationship.
Third, the phenomenon is usually restricted to night mode. Users often report that the effect disappears when ordinary lighting is turned on or when the camera exits infrared mode. Similar observations appear in technical discussions by camera owners. [Tom's Hardware Forum]forums.tomshardware.comstrange floating specks on infrared camera.64922When viewing in the dark (the effect stops if I turn on the porch light) I can see little specks floating…Read more…
Fourth, trail-camera communities regularly identify apparently mysterious night-time streaks and glowing objects as insects captured with long exposures or infrared illumination. Discussions among experienced users repeatedly converge on ordinary biological explanations rather than unknown aerial objects. [Reddit]reddit.comRedditCan anyone tell me what these strange things are flying in…But I have a couple pictures with these strange things flying on the…
Why These Orbs Become UFO Reports
The key mistake is a distance error.
A doorbell camera records angular position, brightness, and motion across the image. It does not directly record how far away an object is. When viewers assume that a glowing blur is hundreds of metres away rather than a few centimetres from the lens, they unintentionally convert a tiny insect into a seemingly extraordinary aerial object.
The orb then appears to have impossible characteristics:
- Extreme acceleration.
- Sudden changes in direction.
- Silent hovering.
- Self-generated light.
- Apparently intelligent movement.
All of these properties emerge naturally once a nearby insect is misidentified as a distant object.
For this reason, glowing doorbell-camera orbs occupy an important place in the catalogue of ordinary causes behind UFO reports. They demonstrate how a real physical object can be captured by a genuine camera yet still be radically misinterpreted because of infrared lighting, optical focus, image processing, and the absence of reliable distance information. The resulting footage can look remarkable, but the underlying mechanism is a well-understood interaction between night-vision technology and small objects passing close to the lens. [Wikipedia]WikipediaBackscatter (photographyBackscatter (photography [SimpliSafe Support Home]support.simplisafe.comBackscatter happens when dust, water droplets, or other particles are present on or very close to…Read more… [3cpisecurity.com]cpisecurity.comThe IR…Read more…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why Night Cameras Create UFO Orbs. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
How We Know What Isn't So
Rating: 4.0/5 from 6 Google Books ratings
Useful for understanding why camera artefacts seem meaningful.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: cpisecurity.com
Link: https://cpisecurity.com/blog/what-causes-orbs-on-security-camera-footage/Source snippet
The IR...Read more...
-
Source: support.simplisafe.com
Link: https://support.simplisafe.com/articles/cameras/why-do-i-see-orbs-or-bubbles-when-my-camera-is-using-night-vision/634492a5d9a8b404da76cccbSource snippet
Backscatter happens when dust, water droplets, or other particles are present on or very close to...Read more...
-
Source: safestreets.com
Title: orbs on my security camera
Link: https://www.safestreets.com/orbs-on-my-security-camera/Source snippet
Why Are There Orbs On My Security Camera?8 Feb 2022 — Dust, water spots, or other particles can show up as orbs in home security footage...
-
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Backscatter (photography)
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_%28photography%29 -
Source: eufy.com
Title: orbs on security camera
Link: https://www.eufy.com/blogs/security-camera/orbs-on-security-cameraSource snippet
eufyUnderstanding Orbs on Security Camera11 Nov 2025 — Environmental Factors: The most common cause of orbs is dust particles, pollen, or...
-
Source: forums.wyze.com
Title: Forum Can anyone explain what this glowing thing is?
Link: https://forums.wyze.com/t/can-anyone-explain-what-this-glowing-thing-is/111920Source snippet
Cameras16 Jul 2020 — Seriously, some types of things (eg bugs) are extremely reflective of IR light and thus present a fuzzy glow in nigh...
-
Source: forums.wyze.com
Title: sprites orbs other anomalies in night vision mode
Link: https://forums.wyze.com/t/sprites-orbs-other-anomalies-in-night-vision-mode/26453Source snippet
Tiny flying insects are attracted to the IR radiation beaming out from the camera...Read more...
-
Source: forums.wyze.com
Title: Forum Strange white orbs flying around?
Link: https://forums.wyze.com/t/strange-white-orbs-flying-around/53876Source snippet
Wyze ForumStrange white orbs flying around? - Cameras2 Sept 2019 — Dust and pollen seemed the most plausible explanation, but some of the...
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBarriGhai/posts/did-you-know-that-most-indoor-and-outdoor-security-cameras-emit-infrared-light-t/1021529623308085/Source snippet
FacebookBarri GhaiSpiders are attracted to the bugs drawn to the infrared light from your camera, which can obstruct visibility and trigg...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/trailcam/comments/16hc8jh/can_anyone_tell_me_what_these_strange_things_are/Source snippet
RedditCan anyone tell me what these strange things are flying in...But I have a couple pictures with these strange things flying on the...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/crql2o/my_security_camera_captured_millions_of_little/Source snippet
That insect that swarms around it very likely sees or orients itself in IR...Read more...
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1029364787229190/posts/3436046549894323/Source snippet
It's called backscatter, the camera's infrared lights hit tiny particles floating right in front of...Read more...
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/425871465090480/posts/1477651166579166/Source snippet
mmonly used in trail cameras at night. As for the figure...Read more...
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/355054821447/posts/10163225720376448/Source snippet
I’m not sure so wondering…...
-
Source: forums.wyze.com
Title: strange white orbs flying around
Link: https://forums.wyze.com/t/strange-white-orbs-flying-around/53876/25Source snippet
#25 by jth - Cameras1 Sept 2019 — These orbs look like someone is standing behind the camera and moving small beam of light over whatever...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/homesecurity/comments/1t808rd/strange_light_beam_orb_in_outdoor_infrared/Source snippet
r actually neighbors shining a light or laser at it?...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghosts/comments/deki6k/explanation_of_orbs_aka_backscatter/ -
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghosts/comments/rzlhqn/sorry_if_not_allowed_but_somebody_please_explain/Source snippet
bugs are when an external light illuminates the particle or...Read more...
-
Source: reddit.com
Title: Can someone tell me what this is?
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghosts/comments/qhs7vr/can_someone_tell_me_what_this_is_we_are_all_a/Source snippet
We are all a little freaked...The orb looks a lot like how bugs appear in night-vision cameras. The shadows could be caused by the insec...
-
Source: forums.tomshardware.com
Title: strange floating specks on infrared camera.64922
Link: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/strange-floating-specks-on-infrared-camera.64922/Source snippet
When viewing in the dark (the effect stops if I turn on the porch light) I can see little specks floating...Read more...
-
Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW6afBCCPlz/Source snippet
a spider photobombing your IR sensors! Have you caught any weird...
Additional References
-
Source: zhihu.com
Link: https://www.zhihu.com/en/answer/2457430395Source snippet
ht vision illumination of a surveillance camera, a normal phenomenon...
-
Source: jennovshop.com
Title: Why Are There Orbs On Your Security Camera
Link: https://jennovshop.com/blogs/news/why-are-there-orbs-on-your-security-camera-understanding-and-fixing-the-issue?srsltid=AfmBOoplzFqTuNxaD9Ei88Nn84vGmG-6PjlWzXbWHpV1lkiJ4FlhDkgDSource snippet
Jennov1 Jan 2025 — Common Causes: Dust, insects, moisture, or lighting conditions.... Small insects flying near the camera can reflect I...
-
Source: jennovshop.com
Title: Why Are There Orbs On Your Security Camera
Link: https://jennovshop.com/blogs/news/why-are-there-orbs-on-your-security-camera-understanding-and-fixing-the-issue?srsltid=AfmBOorWeQKshYCUVy7q0Oh2BcZY5MFMGKr23AtZhYXIiAFlEKKPVigQSource snippet
Jennov1 Jan 2025 — Small insects flying near the camera can reflect IR light, creating bright spots on the footage. Solution: Use insect...
-
Source: reolink.com
Link: https://reolink.com/blog/orbs-caught-on-security-cameras/?srsltid=AfmBOopCBD_N-i3BRdYusvZDIsiY31oc0jLy78AO6bPd2b8aWMkqFM3PSource snippet
Orbs Caught on Security Cameras: How to Fix Them?15 Dec 2025 — Commonly, the orbs on security cameras are because of dust, bugs, and othe...
-
Source: hauntedtraverse.com
Title: Are Orbs Ghosts or Just Dust?
Link: https://www.hauntedtraverse.com/are-orbs-ghosts-or-just-dust-how-to-tell-the-differenceSource snippet
How to Tell the Difference27 Feb 2026 — The overwhelming majority of orb photographs are caused by environmental particles reflecting lig...
-
Source: haunted-devon.co.uk
Title: the ubiquitous orbs
Link: https://haunted-devon.co.uk/articles/features/the-ubiquitous-orbsSource snippet
26 Mar 2021 — Dust appear in film as orbs because of what is called the retro-reflection of light off the dust particle. As investigation...
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: Caught On Yi Outdoor Security Camera
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLAgUyW2usSource snippet
Orb?I have seen a lot of spirits orbs on our security cameras over the last 2 years. Yours moves a lot like mine & also moves in a simila...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQ-nL_k8tYSource snippet
X 5 Washington DC•746K views · 22:28. Go to...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFCDNSgHzcSource snippet
On camera, it looked like a small ball of white...
-
Source: gardepro.com
Link: https://gardepro.com/en-de/blogs/gardepro-blogs/why-trail-camera-night-images-blurry-overexposed?srsltid=AfmBOoqoPPOBOnjnmpeQctKA7wi9CtCY7UvtpVSl86ShLOPoZV9llWM6Source snippet
Why Are Trail Camera Night Images Blurry or Overexposed?18 Apr 2026 — In foggy conditions, IR beams are diffused before reaching the subj...
Topic Tree