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Un-Debunking the WV Moundsville Penitentiary Shadow Man.
Current mood:  accomplished
The Massillon Ghost Hunters Society went to Moundsville Penitentiary for an investigation. While we were there we wanted to try an experiment with the famous shadow picture.
Date:
7/19/2008
Members present:
Brian, Lena, Carolyn, Christine, Ron, Rick, Sarah, Garann & Elizabeth.
Equipment Used:
Back up battery, IR (inferred) light, Sony Camera, Sony video camera.
Debunking made for TV:
When TAPS visited the Moundsville Penitentiary to record for their TV show Ghost Hunter on Sci-fi. They clamed to "de-bunk" the shadow man. Jason and Grant claimed that what Polly Gear captured was nothing more than her own shadow because someone was behind her with a IR (inferred) light that was casting her own shadow onto the door. Per Polly Gear she was by herself when she took the photo and she was standing 110 feet away from the cafeteria door.
When Jason and Grant tried to preformed their experiment to recreate the shadow man the only way they could reflect Jason's shadow on the cafeteria door was for him to stand approximately 10 to 20 feet from the yellow cafeteria door. Grant held a inferred light from their camcorder behind Jason, he was about 10 feet behind Jason.
Looking at the specification on the Sony HVL-IRM Night Shot Infrared Light, its effective range is 3 to 20 meters (9 to 65 feet, most of theses units has 12 to 14 IR LED) So even if someone was behind her with an inferred light, due to the design it would never be have to illuminate the cafeteria door from 110. The light would fall 45 feet short.
Our Experiment:
We attended a trip to Moundsville Penitentiary with Sherri Break Recco of Haunted Heartland Tours. We went to the hallway where the photo was taken and found the 110 foot mark. Setting up our back-up battery, an inferred light (48pcs IR LED) at 116 feet, we aimed it down the hall way. I stood in front of the IR light and had Lena start taking photos behind me.
We took standard photos and photos in night vision. In the night vision that can see IR light clearly at 110 feet ours could not even get close to reaching the end of the hallway.
Now when we all shined our flashlight behind me the shadow that was cast on the far wall was that of a giant! My shadow was nowhere close to even fitting inside the door as in Polly Gear picture.
Lastly we used the light on our camcorder and once again my shadow that was cast on the far wall was that of a giant! My shadow was nowhere close to even fitting inside the door again.
Man made shadow Vs. Shadow people:
TAPS said that what Polly Gear captured on her camera was her shadow, but this is impossible, due to this fact:
On a wall you have two human shaped shadows, one is yours, one is a shadow person. At the very moment you snap off a picture the flash is triggered, illuminating the room or hall and canceling out any "natural" shadows.
So the natural shadow would vanish while the shadow person would remain, keep in mind, a shadow person is not really a shadow, its an apparition, but has no features, therefore made of energy and even in a ethereal form it would still remain during the flash.
The science of LUX
The lux (symbol: lx) is the International System of Units of illuminance and luminous emittance. It is used in photometry as a measure of the intensity of light.
We have one of these meters to tell us the level of light in a room or area. I did a test to see how much light weakens when it moves from the source.
Distance: Lux reading:
0 feet 412
1 foot 380
2 feet 365
3 feet 340
4 feet 291
5 feet 233
As you can see the further the lux meter get from the flash the weaker the light becomes. So if the shadow was her own it would have been transpairent, enough to be able to see the color of the door through it, and by her photo you can not see the door behind it.
In Conclusion:
It is the opinion of the attending members that the photo of the shadow man at Moundsville Penitentiary by Polly Gear is 100% authentic. During our experiment we were unable to validate the statement made by Jason and Grant that the shadow was a result of an IR light behind Polly Gear. From the distance Jason was standing was approximately about 10 feet. In our experiment standing 10 feet from the door was the only way to make a human shaped shadow fit on the door.
Polly Gear was 110 feet away, the shadow is NOT her. At 110 feet her shadow would have been giant, also the shadow in her photo had NO connecting shadow on the floor, from her body to the shadow on the door (On the picture, look at the floor, no connecting shadow.) finally when she took the photo she was at a angle, the shadow would not have been cast on the door, it would have been on the wall. Polly Gear photo is verified authentic by recreation and research.
Go to our website to see the photos of our experiment.
Massillon Ghost Hunters Society
3:15 PM
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