On 6/18/2025 11:25 AM, RonO wrote:
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/moths-fly-600-miles-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fascinating-world-moth-vision-how-eyes- help-them-navigate-gemmell
particular-series-mountain-caves-scientists-think-rcna213703
This is a sort of crazy science news article. This one inch long moth
breeds in the hot lowlands of Australia, but the larva grow up and
become adults and then migrate 600 miles to caves in the Australian
alps. They can sense the magnetic field of the earth, but it has been
discovered that they use star patterns to navigate to the caves. They
can project star the southern star pattern in a flight chamber and the
moths will adjust their course dependent on how the star pattern is
oriented. They don't know which direction to go if shown a random
pattern.
They not only have to be able to interpret star patterns with their
compound eyes, but using the existing pattern has to be instinctive.
They may have only made the previous migration as sperm and egg cells.
They have to figure out what the moths can see so that they can start
to figure out the genetics that resulted in flying in the right
direction based on that observed pattern.
Moths have very small brains, but they obviously have very good visual
interpretive skills and can act on those interpretations.
Ron Okimoto
Article on the low light sensitivity of moth eyes. From other articles compound eyes are good at detecting motion, and obtaining a broad
perspective (the night sky), but are not very good at fine details, but
they must be able to detect star patterns in a pretty crowded night sky.
 In Australia the milky way stretches across the night sky.
Ron Okimoto
On 2025-06-19 2:47 p.m., RonO wrote:
On 6/18/2025 11:25 AM, RonO wrote:My immediate thought (no evidence) is they may detect the orientation of
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/moths-fly-600-miles-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fascinating-world-moth-vision-how-eyes-
particular-series-mountain-caves-scientists-think-rcna213703
This is a sort of crazy science news article. This one inch long moth
breeds in the hot lowlands of Australia, but the larva grow up and
become adults and then migrate 600 miles to caves in the Australian
alps. They can sense the magnetic field of the earth, but it has been
discovered that they use star patterns to navigate to the caves. They
can project star the southern star pattern in a flight chamber and the
moths will adjust their course dependent on how the star pattern is
oriented. They don't know which direction to go if shown a random
pattern.
They not only have to be able to interpret star patterns with their
compound eyes, but using the existing pattern has to be instinctive.
They may have only made the previous migration as sperm and egg cells.
They have to figure out what the moths can see so that they can start
to figure out the genetics that resulted in flying in the right
direction based on that observed pattern.
Moths have very small brains, but they obviously have very good visual
interpretive skills and can act on those interpretations.
Ron Okimoto
help-them-navigate-gemmell
Article on the low light sensitivity of moth eyes. From other articles
compound eyes are good at detecting motion, and obtaining a broad
perspective (the night sky), but are not very good at fine details, but
they must be able to detect star patterns in a pretty crowded night sky.
In Australia the milky way stretches across the night sky.
Ron Okimoto
the milky way.
On 6/19/2025 5:59 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
On Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:17:31 -0500, the following appearedIt is the biggest structure in the sky besides the sun and moon that
in talk.origins, posted by DB Cates <cates_db@hotmail.com>:
On 2025-06-19 2:47 p.m., RonO wrote:Possibly; according to the article that's what at least some
On 6/18/2025 11:25 AM, RonO wrote:My immediate thought (no evidence) is they may detect the orientation of >>> the milky way.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/moths-fly-600-miles-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fascinating-world-moth-vision-how-eyes- >>>> help-them-navigate-gemmell
particular-series-mountain-caves-scientists-think-rcna213703
This is a sort of crazy science news article. This one inch long moth >>>>> breeds in the hot lowlands of Australia, but the larva grow up and
become adults and then migrate 600 miles to caves in the Australian
alps. They can sense the magnetic field of the earth, but it has been >>>>> discovered that they use star patterns to navigate to the caves. They >>>>> can project star the southern star pattern in a flight chamber and the >>>>> moths will adjust their course dependent on how the star pattern is
oriented. They don't know which direction to go if shown a random
pattern.
They not only have to be able to interpret star patterns with their
compound eyes, but using the existing pattern has to be instinctive. >>>>> They may have only made the previous migration as sperm and egg cells. >>>>>
They have to figure out what the moths can see so that they can start >>>>> to figure out the genetics that resulted in flying in the right
direction based on that observed pattern.
Moths have very small brains, but they obviously have very good visual >>>>> interpretive skills and can act on those interpretations.
Ron Okimoto
Article on the low light sensitivity of moth eyes. From other articles >>>> compound eyes are good at detecting motion, and obtaining a broad
perspective (the night sky), but are not very good at fine details, but >>>> they must be able to detect star patterns in a pretty crowded night sky. >>>> In Australia the milky way stretches across the night sky.
Ron Okimoto
of them suspect.
would be at different positions during a 24 hour day, but how do they >translate that swath of brightness that would occur at a specific angle
in the sky with what direction to go. That visual cue has to trigger a >desire to move in a certain direction when it becomes visible at night.
I've seen timelapse pictures of the night sky in the Southern hemisphere
and the movement is circular instead of from east to west like in the >Northern hemisphere, but maybe you have to be further south to see the >circular movement. The angle of the milkyway should change during the
night.
On 6/19/2025 5:59 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
On Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:17:31 -0500, the following appearedIt is the biggest structure in the sky besides the sun and moon that
in talk.origins, posted by DB Cates <cates_db@hotmail.com>:
On 2025-06-19 2:47 p.m., RonO wrote:Possibly; according to the article that's what at least some
On 6/18/2025 11:25 AM, RonO wrote:My immediate thought (no evidence) is they may detect the orientation of >>> the milky way.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/moths-fly-600-miles-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fascinating-world-moth-vision-how-eyes- >>>> help-them-navigate-gemmell
particular-series-mountain-caves-scientists-think-rcna213703
This is a sort of crazy science news article. This one inch long moth >>>>> breeds in the hot lowlands of Australia, but the larva grow up and
become adults and then migrate 600 miles to caves in the Australian
alps. They can sense the magnetic field of the earth, but it has been >>>>> discovered that they use star patterns to navigate to the caves. They >>>>> can project star the southern star pattern in a flight chamber and the >>>>> moths will adjust their course dependent on how the star pattern is
oriented. They don't know which direction to go if shown a random
pattern.
They not only have to be able to interpret star patterns with their
compound eyes, but using the existing pattern has to be instinctive. >>>>> They may have only made the previous migration as sperm and egg cells. >>>>>
They have to figure out what the moths can see so that they can start >>>>> to figure out the genetics that resulted in flying in the right
direction based on that observed pattern.
Moths have very small brains, but they obviously have very good visual >>>>> interpretive skills and can act on those interpretations.
Ron Okimoto
Article on the low light sensitivity of moth eyes. From other articles >>>> compound eyes are good at detecting motion, and obtaining a broad
perspective (the night sky), but are not very good at fine details, but >>>> they must be able to detect star patterns in a pretty crowded night
sky.
  In Australia the milky way stretches across the night sky.
Ron Okimoto
of them suspect.
would be at different positions during a 24 hour day, but how do they translate that swath of brightness that would occur at a specific angle
in the sky with what direction to go. That visual cue has to trigger a desire to move in a certain direction when it becomes visible at night.
I've seen timelapse pictures of the night sky in the Southern hemisphere
and the movement is circular instead of from east to west like in the Northern hemisphere, but maybe you have to be further south to see the circular movement. The angle of the milkyway should change during the night.
Ron Okimoto
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