The Orbs of the Prophets, also called the Tears of the Prophets, are hourglass-shaped artifacts from the Bajoran wormhole that grant visions to those who view them.
Over millennia, the Orbs appeared near Bajor, sent by the beings the Bajorans worship as the Prophets. They are kept in ornate arks, and opening one bathes the viewer in light and brings experiences of the past, the future or the self. Each Orb is named for its effect, such as the Orb of Prophecy and Change and the Orb of Time.
During the occupation the Cardassians carried off all but one of the known Orbs, and their return became a political matter for Bajor afterwards. In 2374 Gul Dukat, possessed by a Pah-wraith, extinguished the Orbs and sealed the wormhole.
In 2375 Benjamin Sisko found the Orb of the Emissary on Tyree. Opening it drove the Pah-wraith from the wormhole and restored the link to the Prophets.