Have you seen a moth circle a lamp, or fly straight into a candle flame? It looks as if the light is pulling it in.
For a long time, people thought moths used the Moon to find their way. A moth flies in a straight line by keeping a far-off light, like the Moon, at the same angle. So people thought a nearby lamp tricked the moth and made it spin in circles.
But scientists now think that idea is wrong. In 2024, they filmed flying insects in very slow motion, and found something surprising. Insects keep their back turned towards the brightest light. That is how they know which way is up!
Out in the open, the brightest light is the sky above. So the moth flies the right way up. But near a lamp, the brightest light is to the side, or even below. The moth turns its back towards it, tips over, and gets stuck flying round and round — because it has lost track of which way is up.
So a moth at your window is not chasing the flame. It is just confused by a light far brighter than anything in nature. Scientists are still working out the details. But one thing is already clear: turning off lights we don’t need helps moths and other insects find their way.
Editor’s note: This story was updated in 2026 to reflect new research on why moths fly towards light. Earlier explanations — that moths steer by the Moon, or mistake the flame for a mate — are now questioned by scientists.
Word treasure
- angle
- — the way two lines or directions meet, like the corner of a room
- insects
- — small creatures with six legs and a body in three parts, like moths and flies
- confused
- — mixed up and not sure what to do
