Why do visual effects artists love this shiny ball?

using a HDRI (high dynamic range image) these shiny balls allow artists to capture the way that light looks on the live set so that they can make it look as though that light is convincingly illuminating a digital object.
Swipe and look deeper into @andre_eksteen_’s shiny ball! You will find the master right there taking my picture

This shiny ball might soon be old school with 360 cameras becoming better everyday, just like film turned to digital. But that’s just me thinking out loud.