Can aura photography reveal emotion and intellectual state?

  • Thread starter Thread starter OAQfirst
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Photo Technology
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
11 replies · 8K views
OAQfirst
Messages
23
Reaction score
3
http://www.auraphoto.com/

Is this for real? Can this technology actually reveal states of emotion, intellectualism, etc?
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Discussion

Kirlian photography refers to a form of photogram made with a high voltage. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage, small corona discharges (created by the strong electric field at the edges of the object) create an image on the photographic plate.[1]...

Kirlian made controversial claims that the image he was studying might be compared with the human aura. An experiment advanced as evidence of energy fields generated by living entities involves taking Kirlian contact photographs of a picked leaf at set periods, its gradual withering being said to correspond with a decline in the strength of the aura. However it may simply be that the leaf loses moisture and becomes less electrically conductive, causing a gradual weakening of the electric field at the drier edges of the leaf...

The accepted physical explanation is that the images produced are those typically caused by a high voltage corona effect, similar to those seen from other high voltage sources such as the Van de Graaff generator or Tesla coil. In a darkened room, this is visible as a faint glow but, because of the high voltages, the film is affected in a slightly different way from the usual. Color photographic film is calibrated to faithfully produce colors when exposed to normal light. The corona discharge has a somewhat different effect on the different layers of dye used to accomplish this result, resulting in various colors depending on the local intensity of the discharge. [6]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirlian_photography
http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JAPIAU000044000007003102000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's an interesting idea. Do the 'auras' change when a person thinks negative or positive thoughts? This is the only way that I would be convinced that there was anything truly revolutionary in this technology.
 
Mammo said:
It's an interesting idea. Do the 'auras' change when a person thinks negative or positive thoughts? This is the only way that I would be convinced that there was anything truly revolutionary in this technology.

To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing to suggest that this is anything but corona discharges acting on photographic film. If there were anything to the rest of the claims, we would know by now.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing to suggest that this is anything but corona discharges acting on photographic film. If there were anything to the rest of the claims, we would know by now.
Agreed.
 
All things put of some sort of energy. I think the idea that the "aura" changes based on mood is an attempt to prove a religious idea (I don't know much of the ideas, therefore have no wish to discuss, debate, or in any way offend anyone that believes in the idea.) of an energy emanating from all things motivating, and effecting the universe.

Another possible scientific reason behind a "corona" is the constant bombardment of energy that pelts us at all times. It is reasonable to assume that a certain portion of this energy is refracted (maybe better put as reflected.) away from a surface (due to the dispersion of the refracted energy it appears as a "corona" or "aura".).
 
jwlm88 said:
All things put of some sort of energy. I think the idea that the "aura" changes based on mood is an attempt to prove a religious idea (I don't know much of the ideas, therefore have no wish to discuss, debate, or in any way offend anyone that believes in the idea.) of an energy emanating from all things motivating, and effecting the universe.

Another possible scientific reason behind a "corona" is the constant bombardment of energy that pelts us at all times. It is reasonable to assume that a certain portion of this energy is refracted (maybe better put as reflected.) away from a surface (due to the dispersion of the refracted energy it appears as a "corona" or "aura".).

What do you mean by energy emanating from all things? If you refer to thermal energy, you are right. Any object above absolute zero radiates thermal energy.
If you are talking about chi, prana or any other new age energy, there is no place for them in this forum.
 
As I stated quiet clearly, I am not speaking of nor wish to discuss such ideas as "chi", or "new age energy". I was in fact referring to thermal energy.

The reason I mentioned such ideas in the first place was to make sure no one misinterpreted, and thought I was using them as reason behind an "aura" or "corona".

I was also referring to earlier post which asked if the "aura" could be used to determine a persons mood, or if they were thinking positive or negative thoughts. I was attempting to state there is no evidence that a persons thoughts or mood changes their "aura".
 
jwlm88 said:
As I stated quiet clearly, I am not speaking of nor wish to discuss such ideas as "chi", or "new age energy". I was in fact referring to thermal energy.

The reason I mentioned such ideas in the first place was to make sure no one misinterpreted, and thought I was using them as reason behind an "aura" or "corona".

I was also referring to earlier post which asked if the "aura" could be used to determine a persons mood, or if they were thinking positive or negative thoughts. I was attempting to state there is no evidence that a persons thoughts or mood changes their "aura".

The reason I asked is because you misinterpreted the corona discharge mentioned by Ivan. A corona discharge is a well known phenomenon around electric conductors carrying high voltage and is behind Kirlian photography. It has nothing to do to reflected or refracted energy.
 
OAQfirst said:
Is this for real? Can this technology actually reveal states of emotion, intellectualism, etc?

Overly curious, I bought their videotape long ago. It's not an aura camera. Instead, you place your hand on a multi-channel GSR meter. There are colored lights inside the "camera" and a computer which lights them to simulate what your aura "should" look like ...if cameras could see it. The 45deg beam splitter visible inside the "camera" is combining the image of the lights with the real-world view of the human sitting in the chair.

This version is somewhat honest when compared to an earlier one which included colored lights in it's photoflash unit, while the victim sat in front of a retroreflective screen on which the colors were transiently projected.
 
I once had the strange experience of seeing an aura around a woman. It looked quite like a bubble: spherical and transparent, not so much emanating from her as being a kind of separate container in which she was centered and which traveled with her as she walked. The point of note, I think, is that it didn't conform to the contours of her body the way a kirilian aura does.

I'm not claiming it was anything but a mild hallucination, but I'm curious as to why it should take that form. Is there any children's story or old movie in which a female character is depicted inside a bubble?
 
We were in psychology in high school when a girl came in and talked about how she saw peoples auras. Even the teacher was giving her weird looks...