Santa Fe courthouse ghost
Encyclopedia
The Santa Fe courthouse ghost was a purported ghost
sighted on a video captured by a security camera at a courthouse
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
on June 15, 2007. The "ghost video" was uploaded onto YouTube
and quickly attracted widespread attention, especially within the community of ghost believers.
camera. The image, starting at 7:27:11 a.m., shows a bright spot of light that comes from either the roof or near the courthouse's back door on Catron Street. Quickly thereafter, reports on the event were posted on various news web sites such as courttv.com, abcnews.com
, cbsnews.com
, foxnews.com
and Yahoo!
, and promptly became a topic of discussion all over the country. Soon after videos and images were released to public, a large number of e-mail messages were sent to a New Mexico Magazine
reporter, proposing various theories on what the object was. Thousands of hits for the video were recorded on The New Mexican site. The video was later uploaded to YouTube
and has been viewed more than 80,000 times, drawing hundreds of e-mail comments.
Many predictions were made about the real identity of the mysterious object. Some people supposed that it was the ghost of Andy Lopez, who took nine hostages at the courthouse in February 1985 after killing the wife of his original victim 20 years ago. Other predictions included a person walking, a male's face and a spirit. However, common theories were that it might be just an insect
(later found to be true), a spider
, or a reflection
, as well as some kinds of light phenomenon
. Vanessa Pacheco, supervisor of the court security for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, said people’s opinions on the video depended on whether they believe in ghosts.
, a managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer
science magazine, a LiveScience columnist
and author of hundreds of articles and several books on science, skepticism
, and the paranormal
, was invited at the request of The New Mexican to do research on the phenomenon. He believed the undetermined object was a piece of tree fluff or a spider or insect crawling across the camera lens. Having interacted with many similar ghost videos of this type, he said that the blurry video made it difficult to tell exactly what the image captured. Usually, the lower the quality of the image, the more likely the object is deemed to be a ghost. To find out what lay behind the mystery, he conducted two sets of experiments, including scattering the cotton
from the cotton tree and using the insects. The first set appeared to be inconclusive, since the cotton didn’t make a glowing fluffy ball as the one in the ghost image. The second set using a bug, in the end, was more successful: Radford recreated an accurate "ghost" down to its color, size, shape and movement. It was agreed that the mystery had been solved thoroughly and the origin of the ghost was nothing more than a bug. A detailed report on Radford’s experiments was published in Skeptical Inquirer
magazine's September/October issue that year.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
sighted on a video captured by a security camera at a courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
on June 15, 2007. The "ghost video" was uploaded onto YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and quickly attracted widespread attention, especially within the community of ghost believers.
The mysterious object
On June 15, 2007, a mysterious star-shaped object floating around the First Judicial District courthouse was recorded by a surveillanceSurveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
camera. The image, starting at 7:27:11 a.m., shows a bright spot of light that comes from either the roof or near the courthouse's back door on Catron Street. Quickly thereafter, reports on the event were posted on various news web sites such as courttv.com, abcnews.com
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, cbsnews.com
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, foxnews.com
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
, and promptly became a topic of discussion all over the country. Soon after videos and images were released to public, a large number of e-mail messages were sent to a New Mexico Magazine
New Mexico Magazine
The New Mexico Magazine launched in 1923, is the first state magazine founded anywhere in the nation, preceding Arizona Highways. New Mexico Magazine publishes a monthly print edition, maintains a website, and also prints and sells books, posters, notecards and many other gift items.-Overview:Based...
reporter, proposing various theories on what the object was. Thousands of hits for the video were recorded on The New Mexican site. The video was later uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and has been viewed more than 80,000 times, drawing hundreds of e-mail comments.
Many predictions were made about the real identity of the mysterious object. Some people supposed that it was the ghost of Andy Lopez, who took nine hostages at the courthouse in February 1985 after killing the wife of his original victim 20 years ago. Other predictions included a person walking, a male's face and a spirit. However, common theories were that it might be just an insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
(later found to be true), a spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
, or a reflection
Reflection (physics)
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
, as well as some kinds of light phenomenon
Ghost light
Ghost light or ghostlight may refer to:* Will-o'-the-wisp, also called ghost-light in some countries, a natural phenomenon producing a ghostly light sometimes seen at night or twilight over bogs, swamps, and marshes...
. Vanessa Pacheco, supervisor of the court security for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, said people’s opinions on the video depended on whether they believe in ghosts.
Explanation
Finally, Benjamin RadfordBenjamin Radford
Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer, former editor-in-chief of the Spanish-language magazine Pensar, which was published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer magazine Skeptical Briefs newsletter, Discovery News, LiveScience.com...
, a managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
science magazine, a LiveScience columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and author of hundreds of articles and several books on science, skepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
, and the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
, was invited at the request of The New Mexican to do research on the phenomenon. He believed the undetermined object was a piece of tree fluff or a spider or insect crawling across the camera lens. Having interacted with many similar ghost videos of this type, he said that the blurry video made it difficult to tell exactly what the image captured. Usually, the lower the quality of the image, the more likely the object is deemed to be a ghost. To find out what lay behind the mystery, he conducted two sets of experiments, including scattering the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
from the cotton tree and using the insects. The first set appeared to be inconclusive, since the cotton didn’t make a glowing fluffy ball as the one in the ghost image. The second set using a bug, in the end, was more successful: Radford recreated an accurate "ghost" down to its color, size, shape and movement. It was agreed that the mystery had been solved thoroughly and the origin of the ghost was nothing more than a bug. A detailed report on Radford’s experiments was published in Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
magazine's September/October issue that year.
See also
- Ghost lightGhost lightGhost light or ghostlight may refer to:* Will-o'-the-wisp, also called ghost-light in some countries, a natural phenomenon producing a ghostly light sometimes seen at night or twilight over bogs, swamps, and marshes...
- List of haunted locations
- HoaxHoaxA hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...