Experts are inviting members of the public to send in their photos of ghostly phenomena for a dossier they are compiling in a bid to solve the mysteries of the paranormal.
Hundreds of paranormal pictures are expected to be submitted online as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival in Scotland.
Amongst those submitted is a photo taken last year of years ago of a ghostly face amongst a group of teenaged friends, a photo of a headless soldier at a castle, probably Edinburgh Castle or Stirling Castle in Scotland, in 1987, and a mysterious white figure at Ankara, Turkey.
Ghostly apparitions... or just a trick of the light? Scientists attempt to solve mysteries of paranormal
By Daily Mail Reporter
10th March 2009
Daily Mail
A dossier of ghostly apparitions is being compiled by scientists in a bid to solve the mysteries of the paranormal.
Experts are inviting members of the public to send them pictures of alleged ghosts to allow them to examine them in greater detail.
Hundreds of paranormal pictures are expected to be submitted online as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.
They will be posted on a website and examined to see if any defy explanation.
One of the strangest submissions was taken on a mobile phone by 17-year-old Matthew Summers last year, showing what appears to be the face of a girl poking between the legs of a group of friends
The photograph was taken at a house where there have been sightings of a ghostly child aged three or four
Ghost-debunking psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, who is heading the experiment, said: 'About once a month I get sent a fairly good ghost photo where it's not immediately obvious what's going on.
'Often you might see what looks like a face in semi-darkness but its just a trick of the light. The human brain is hard-wired to see faces, for instance in clouds. That's because faces are the most important thing we can see around us.
'I'm pretty sceptical, and usually there's a rational explanation, but it could be that someone out there is sitting on something really interesting.'
One of the strangest appears to be the face of a little girl poking between the legs of a group of friends. It was taken at a house where there have been sightings of a ghostly child aged three or four.
'Believe it or not it's just a very odd configuration of the light,' said Prof Wiseman. 'These are always the hardest ones to explain.'
Double exposure? This photograph taken at a castle (probably Edinburgh or Stirling in Scotland) 22 years ago appears to show the transparent figure of a headless ghost in an army coat
Another taken at a castle 22 years ago appears to show the transparent figure of a headless ghost in an army coat standing in front of two children playing on a cannon.
Prof Wiseman said: 'The person who took it is absolutely convinced that it's a photo of the headless ghost who walks around the castle walls. Maybe he's angry with the kids playing around. This one might be a double exposure.'
An image taken in a vault by an American tourist during a walking tour of Edinburgh in 1998. Prof Wiseman estimates that ten per cent of the population have had a ghostly experience
A survey of people's ghostly experiences is also being launched at the Edinburgh Science Festival.
'Ten per cent of the population have had a ghostly experience, but no-one yet has carried out a survey of what kind of experiences they have,' said Prof Wiseman.
'We know ghosts tend to be seen as solid figures, which only reveal themselves as ghosts when they do something like walking through a wall.'
A number of ghost pictures can already be seen on the site Ghostly photographs from Hauntings.
This strange apparition appeared in the background of a holiday picture taken last April in Ankara, Turkey
A close-up shows a bright angel-shaped light hovering above a milling crowd
The ghostly shape of a woman is visible in this image of a painting of Charles II, taken at Edinburgh Castle in 2003. The photographer believes that the woman has her hand on the king's shoulder
A movement in this woman's hair reveals what resembles a human face. A survey of ghostly experiences is to be launched at the Edinburgh Science Festival
dailymail.co.uk
Hundreds of paranormal pictures are expected to be submitted online as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival in Scotland.
Amongst those submitted is a photo taken last year of years ago of a ghostly face amongst a group of teenaged friends, a photo of a headless soldier at a castle, probably Edinburgh Castle or Stirling Castle in Scotland, in 1987, and a mysterious white figure at Ankara, Turkey.
Ghostly apparitions... or just a trick of the light? Scientists attempt to solve mysteries of paranormal
By Daily Mail Reporter
10th March 2009
Daily Mail
A dossier of ghostly apparitions is being compiled by scientists in a bid to solve the mysteries of the paranormal.
Experts are inviting members of the public to send them pictures of alleged ghosts to allow them to examine them in greater detail.
Hundreds of paranormal pictures are expected to be submitted online as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.
They will be posted on a website and examined to see if any defy explanation.
One of the strangest submissions was taken on a mobile phone by 17-year-old Matthew Summers last year, showing what appears to be the face of a girl poking between the legs of a group of friends
The photograph was taken at a house where there have been sightings of a ghostly child aged three or four
Ghost-debunking psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, who is heading the experiment, said: 'About once a month I get sent a fairly good ghost photo where it's not immediately obvious what's going on.
'Often you might see what looks like a face in semi-darkness but its just a trick of the light. The human brain is hard-wired to see faces, for instance in clouds. That's because faces are the most important thing we can see around us.
'I'm pretty sceptical, and usually there's a rational explanation, but it could be that someone out there is sitting on something really interesting.'
One of the strangest appears to be the face of a little girl poking between the legs of a group of friends. It was taken at a house where there have been sightings of a ghostly child aged three or four.
'Believe it or not it's just a very odd configuration of the light,' said Prof Wiseman. 'These are always the hardest ones to explain.'
Double exposure? This photograph taken at a castle (probably Edinburgh or Stirling in Scotland) 22 years ago appears to show the transparent figure of a headless ghost in an army coat
Another taken at a castle 22 years ago appears to show the transparent figure of a headless ghost in an army coat standing in front of two children playing on a cannon.
Prof Wiseman said: 'The person who took it is absolutely convinced that it's a photo of the headless ghost who walks around the castle walls. Maybe he's angry with the kids playing around. This one might be a double exposure.'
An image taken in a vault by an American tourist during a walking tour of Edinburgh in 1998. Prof Wiseman estimates that ten per cent of the population have had a ghostly experience
A survey of people's ghostly experiences is also being launched at the Edinburgh Science Festival.
'Ten per cent of the population have had a ghostly experience, but no-one yet has carried out a survey of what kind of experiences they have,' said Prof Wiseman.
'We know ghosts tend to be seen as solid figures, which only reveal themselves as ghosts when they do something like walking through a wall.'
A number of ghost pictures can already be seen on the site Ghostly photographs from Hauntings.
This strange apparition appeared in the background of a holiday picture taken last April in Ankara, Turkey
A close-up shows a bright angel-shaped light hovering above a milling crowd
The ghostly shape of a woman is visible in this image of a painting of Charles II, taken at Edinburgh Castle in 2003. The photographer believes that the woman has her hand on the king's shoulder
A movement in this woman's hair reveals what resembles a human face. A survey of ghostly experiences is to be launched at the Edinburgh Science Festival
dailymail.co.uk
