Moths like light primarily because they use natural light sources like the moon and stars for navigation, a behavior called transverse orientation. Moths keep a constant angle to a distant light source (such as the moon) to fly in a straight line. However, artificial lights are much closer and radiate light in all directions, confusing moths and causing them to spiral inward toward the light, which appears as attraction but is actually navigational disorientation. Additionally, moths are particularly sensitive to ultraviolet light emitted by many artificial sources, which further attracts them. Other theories suggest that light might mimic female moth pheromones or influence their behavior to settle down, but the dominant explanation relates to their evolved orientation system tuned to celestial light sources. Moths can also struggle to leave bright light because their vision adapts slowly to darkness, making it difficult once they approach a bright lamp. Not all moth species are attracted to light, and some actually avoid it. Overall, the attraction to artificial light is largely a byproduct of moths' evolved reliance on natural light cues for navigation, which modern artificial lighting disrupts, often leading to fatal outcomes for the moths.