Bogong moths navigate using the Milky Way and specific star pattern

 Scientists have confirmed that Bogong moths navigate their 1,000-kilometer migration using the Milky Way and specific star patterns, making them the first insects proven to use true celestial navigation. This discovery, published in Current Biology, reveals that these small moths possess astronomical awareness rivaling that of ancient human navigators.

The moths migrate annually from breeding grounds in southern Queensland to the Australian Alps, flying only at night across vast distances without landmarks. Researchers discovered they use the Milky Way as a directional compass, combined with the Earth's magnetic field for calibration. When scientists experimentally shifted the magnetic field in laboratory conditions, the moths recalibrated their flight paths using stellar cues, proving they actively reference the night sky rather than relying solely on magnetism.

This navigational feat is extraordinary given the moths' tiny brains contain only about one million neurons, yet they process complex astronomical information that humans needed sophisticated instruments to master. The moths can compensate for the Earth's rotation, which causes stars to move across the sky throughout the night, and maintain accurate headings even when clouds temporarily obscure portions of the stellar map. Each moth makes this journey only once in its lifetime, meaning this navigational knowledge is innate rather than learned. The discovery suggests that for millions of years, these insects have been looking up at the same stars humans used to explore the world, finding their way across continents by reading the galaxy itself as their map.