The moon sometimes appears enormous, and this is because of the Ponzo Illusion.
Learn Why the Moon Appears Larger on the Horizon
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Very interesting Wouldn't the moon be farther away as it travels higher in the skY? ps I've been following a planet at night; the planet travels from west to east nightly~ then it goes northward and disappears behind the trees;
One would think that the Moon is farther from us when it is at its highest point in the sky than at the horizon, but actually it appears that the opposite is true. Scientists have found that, illusion aside, a full Moon looks about 1.5 percent smaller when it is at the horizon than when, in this example, it is right above us, at zenith, because to see the Moon at the horizon, we are first looking across the radius of Earth (about 4,000 miles) and then on into space to the Moon. When the Moon is at the zenith, we are looking straight from our location on Earth’s surface into space to the Moon. (Note: The highest point of the Moon’s arc, as it crosses the meridian, may not be directly overhead, depending on your location and date.) Hope this helps!
"Cold hearted orb that rules the night... we decide which is right. And which is an illusion." Thank you for linking this from the super moon article, for the info and also that homey yet somewhat surreal-looking photo.
Yeah it's not because the moon is closer lololololol, it's not closer at moonrise, farther at peak height, then closer again at moonset lolololol
During the 1st week of July a couple yrs ago I was staying at a Gulf of Mexico cabin. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I was dreaming when I looked out and saw what I thought was a second sunset but quickly realized it was a moon-set. The moon was very large and red and spread a rosy path on the water. What caused this illusion?
South of the Equator the moon looks larger because it goes round at the shortest distance also the atmosphere acts like a Lens it’s curved therefore magnifying the Moon !.
As mentioned in the above article, when the Moon is near the horizon, it looks large. The lit part of the Moon is due to reflected sunlight. When the Moon is near the horizon, its reflected sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere than when it was higher. As a result, more of the shorter wavelengths (blue and green) get scattered, leaving the longer wavelengths, such as red light. (This happens at sunset, too.)
You might also see a red Moon (no matter where it is in the sky) if the atmosphere has a lot of particles, such as due to a fire, volcanic eruption, or pollution, because the particles also scatter more of the shorter wavelengths of light.
I would like to view the Moon Illusion, take photograph of supet size moon. Ive only seen it 2 times ands was awestruck. When in 2014 can I see this moon? What can I use to photograph it to get the same effect.
Thank you
Thank you..what
The best time to see the Moon illusion is when the Moon is near the horizon, either rising or setting. The full Moon rises around the time of sunset, so that would be a good time to try the experiment. Photographs will show the same size Moon no matter where it is in the sky. Your eye, however, will interpret the Moon as getting smaller the higher it ascends in the sky. The next full Moon will be on Friday, February 14, 2014. The one after that, Sunday, March 16. Check here to see when the Moon will rise in your area:
www.almanac.com/astronomy/rise/
When the "enlarged" moon is near the horizon, another way to negate this optical illusion: face away from the moon, then bend over and look at the moon between your legs. Lo and behold, the moon looks its usual size.
