Flight paths of night-flying moths to light

The terminal portion of the flight paths of the corn earworm moth, Heliothis zea, to blacklights were studied on a moth flight pond and in the field. It was found that moths did not spiral into a lamp or fly directly at the light, but flew towards a region next to the lamp. It is suggested that near-the-light moths perceive a dark Mach band next to the lamp and fly towards this region in an effort to escape.