[Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth - "contrails" ??

[MexicoDoug]

"Photo of moths at mercury vapor showing "contrails" ???"

Very cool picture Mike thanks for the post - is it missing a ":-)"?

Putting on an astronomy hat Jim, I'd say "contrails" would be 
scientifically a misnomer and they are just ordinary "moth trails" 
(analogous to the "star trails" astronomers love to photograph) with 
nothing else likely going on.  If a crazed moth at a mercury vapor lamp 
travels at 5 mph, it will travel during the exposure (Mike diod 1/3 
sec) about a half of a yard which seems to be the case if we take the 
diameter of the post in the forground as a bit larger due to 
perspective of the lens.  So nothing special IMO

-- except a near pun of sorts since contrails are made of upper 
atmospheric vapor/ice crystals and the bulb functions using mercury 
"vapor" -- ;-)

Kindest wishes
Doug


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Mason <jim at gpnc.org>
To: 'Mike Quinn' <entomike at gmail.com>; BPatter789 <BPatter789 at aol.com>
Cc: humble1 <humble1 at dtccom.net>; leps-l <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>; 
cabana.shane <cabana.shane at gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 17, 2012 5:50 pm
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth - "contrails" ??



If these are not merely optic phenomena resulting from 
reflection/refraction of the light off the wing scales, it may be 
interesting to test various species to see if their wings have any 
ability to store and then emit light energy.  This then begs the 
question whether or not this capability has any adaptive value to the 
species or is just an accident of the materials the wings are built of.
 
Jim Mason, Naturalist
Jim at gpnc.org
Great Plains Nature Center
6232 E. 29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67220-2200
316-683-5499 x103 - voice
316-688-9555 - fax
www.gpnc.org
 

From: Mike Quinn [mailto:entomike at gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:36 PM
To: BPatter789 at aol.com
Cc: jim at gpnc.org; leps-l at mailman.yale.edu; humble1 at dtccom.net; 
cabana.shane at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth - "contrails" ??

 
Photo of moths at mercury vapor showing "contrails" ???

 

http://bit.ly/M7KgD0


Mike Quinn, Austin
________________
Texas Entomology
http://texasento.net





On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:08 PM, <BPatter789 at aol.com> wrote:

Dear Jim,

 

I do not know if this will post to the list serve.  If it does not, 
please feel free to re-post it there.

 

In July of 2010 (about the 9th) my wife and I spent a couple of nights 
at Manchester, Tennessee.  I think we stayed at the Sleep Inn at 84 
Relco Drive.  The rear of that hotel faces a Quality Inn at 2314 
Hillsboro Blvd.  At the edge of the Quality Inn parking lot is a pole 
rising about 20-30 feet at the top of which is a 3-sided enclosure 
holding 1-2 extremely large lamps, probably mercury vapor but possibly 
another type.  The light from this structure illuminates the large 
parking lot and the side of the Quality Inn.

 

We observed many dozens of moths flying back and forth through what I 
presume to have been an electrically charged or ionized atmosphere that 
might have extended 5-10 meters in front of and to the sides of the 
lamp(s).  The flight path of each moth looked like a streak of bright 
light (nearly white or off-white) and, with so many moths being 
present, gave the impression of a burst of fireworks. These "contrails" 
were, I presume, the result of the collision of "charged particles" 
brought about by moth flight roiling the atmosphere.

 

I don't believe that any moths flew into the lamp enclosure or nearer 
than 2-3 feet of it.  I examined the parking lot near the pole and 
found no evidence of killed moths.  There was no bat activity that we 
observed.  I did not think to take photographs.

 

Bob Patterson
12601 Buckingham Drive
Bowie, Maryland 20715
(301) - 262-2459 pm. hours
Moth Photographers Group Website
My Personal Moths Website

 

 


-----Original Message-----
From: leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Shane Adams
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 1:37 AM
To: leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Leps-l] luminescent moth

On june 13 2012 ~ 2Am  about an hour north of Hinton Alberta, I seen 
what
appeared to be luminescent moths.
They would fly into a high watt halogen light then come out glowing 
like hot
embers. Even when they went behind the light tower they glowed.  About 
the
size of a 25 cent coin. This would last about five seconds then it would
fade, and they would fly back to the light and come out glowing again. 
There
where moths on the side of the building that where flat white ish with
triangular wigs but I don't know if these where the same ones that where
glowing. Is there such a things a luminescent moth? What did I see?








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