“Orb” is a description of something that looks round and luminous in the sky—not an explanation of what it is. In the reports we’ve covered, witnesses use the word for lights ranging from star-like spots to brighter spherical-looking objects, with varied reported colors and movements. [1][2][3]
The accounts show how broad the label is. In Monterey, California, on May 6, 2026, an amateur astronomer reported white spots appearing and disappearing and moving slowly in different directions over about half an hour. [1] In San Marcos, Texas, on May 9, two witnesses described lights changing color and moving in bursts, then vanishing and reappearing. [2] A single observer in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, reported three green lights making sharp turns on July 4, 2026; that sighting was not independently verified. [3]
Those descriptions tell us what witnesses thought they saw, not what the lights were. The reports don’t establish that “orbs” are a single kind of object, or identify the cause of these particular sightings. [1][2][3]