right? like they kill themselves in my porch light! wouldn't it be cool? God!
2007-11-13 14:21:07 · 12 answers · asked by Honey Bunny 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
They're not actually attracted to bright objects, but the shadows behind the bright objects. The moon also does not radiate light, it reflects it from the sun. They don't go into the sun because the sun has no shadows behind it...
2007-11-13 14:24:35 · answer #1 · answered by Nigella sativa 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Actually, bugs navigate by moonlight. They don't see the difference in distance between the moon, sun, and stars (infinity) and your porch light. Their eyes have these many cones and they navigate by keeping the light source in a certain area of their eyes. Because they think your porch light is infinitely far away, like the moon, to keep that light centered in their eyes they spiral into it. They are not committing suicide, they just don't know the difference between lights that they have navigated by for millions of years that are infinitely far away and artificial lights that are close by and have only been around for a few hundred years.
2007-11-13 14:26:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure that they don't?
According to this study they did:
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/ask/2006/12/why_are_insects_attracted_to_l.html
"Before humans existed, there were no artificial lights at night. The only light was the moon, and insects that fly directly towards the moon at night will travel in a straight line."
2007-11-13 14:28:42 · answer #3 · answered by @@@@@@@@ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If left by only the moonlight, bugs certainly do gravitate toward the moon. It is man-made light that attracts them, as well as body heat, being the nearest available source. Turn out all your lights, chill your body temp and see how many bugs you attract.
2007-11-13 14:27:03 · answer #4 · answered by OP 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
How do you know they don't?
Seriously, what I think they really do is find each other in the moonlight & mate-
-which means their instead finding your porch light or a bug-zapper to be a rather anticlimactic bummer.....
2007-11-13 14:27:00 · answer #5 · answered by morkmath 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
wow. that's such a great question lol... if they like the porch light so much why not the moon? right!
2007-11-13 14:24:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The moon is not bright enough to attract them
2007-11-13 14:26:10 · answer #7 · answered by osok48 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gravity, I think..because eventually they probably can't fly any higher because the pressure...idk lol!
2007-11-13 14:24:35 · answer #8 · answered by Caitlin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
lmao hahaha i kno XD that'd be cool :D
but unfortunately they can't D:
2007-11-13 14:23:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
because theyll suffocate in space
2007-11-13 14:23:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋