Discover New Worlds
High speed shooting of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Printable Version Chapter Contents Off
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- Start/stop film by clicking on the button.
- To change the film’s speed stop it and change the number above (pictures per milli second)
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If the Java isn't working for you, optional MPEG sequences are available to download:
highspeed2.mpg [slow] 69kb
highspeed1.mpg [slower] 137kb
*In order to view the MPEG, you must have a program that plays MPEGs such as Microsoft Media Player downloadable from Microsoft's website (www.microsoft
.com).
These files are best played looped in your MPEG player.
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How can moths "stand" in the air?
We had seen Hawkmoths standing in one position in the air for 20 seconds to suck the nectar of a blossom. They moved their wings so fast that none of us could see how they did it. We wondered how they could do this.
From biological literature we learned that the frequency of the beat of wings was about 80 Hz for a Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum).
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The high speed camera
Can any camera seize these fast movements? The research division of DaimlerChrysler in Stuttgart (Germany) possesses such a high speed camera. Combustions in a combustion engine can be filmed with up to 6,000 photos per second.
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As DaimlerChrysler is open to youth doing research work we were invited to come to
a photo session to the research lab. With the support of the butterfly house on the island Mainau in Lake Constance we could observe the date with several butterflies and get some experience. Since the shooting time of the whole 16mm film is less than one minute the butterfly must be exactly in the focal distance of the lens in the right moment. There is no shooting time to be wasted. But the winged "models" wouldn’t follow our instructions. They either flew away at once or didn’t move at all.
Watching the developed films later was a disappointment for all of us.
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Second attempt
If the animals don’t move in front of the camera, the camera must come to them.
At the university of Tuebingen in the division neurophysiology Prof. Varju was
doing research work with Hummingbird Hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum). In their big cage we succeeded to take
the exclusive shooting shown above with the help of Dr. Koenig.
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Intro
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Home
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Evaluation of the Shooting
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