That Huge Moon? It's Just an Illusion

Why the Moon Looms Especially Large Tonight

As the full moon rises this Wednesday, many people (including myself) will be fooled into thinking it's unusually large.

The moon illusion, as it's known, is a trick in our minds that makes the moon seem bigger when it's near the horizon. The effect is most pronounced at full moon. Many people swear it's real, suggesting that perhaps Earth's atmosphere magnifies the moon.

The moon always looks biggest when it's closest to the horizon, but Wednesday's full moon may seem even bigger than usual. That's because it is just two days before the summer solstice, when the sun hits its highest point in the sky.

But it really is all in our minds. The moon is not bigger at the horizon than when overhead.

The illusion will be particularly noticeable at this "solstice moon," coming just two days before summer starts in the Northern Hemisphere.

The reason, according to NASA, lies in lunar mechanics: The sun and full moon are like kids on a see-saw; when one is high, the other is low. This week's high solstice sun gives us a low, horizon-hugging moon and a strong, long-lasting version of the illusion.

Here's how it works: Your mind believes things on the horizon are farther away than things overhead, because you are used to seeing clouds just a few miles above, but the clouds on the horizon can indeed be hundreds of miles away. So if we think something (such as the moon) is farther away, and it's not, then it seems larger.

The moon rose about 50 minutes earlier Tuesday night, when the effect also was noticeable because the moon was nearly full.

For illuminating images see the source of this article
http://www.livescience.com/space/080617-moon-illusion.html

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Comments (7)

yes the moon is very beautiful tonight.... doesn't seem larger than usual, but is very bright with a lovely yellow glow....... and so serene.....

Comment #1 Posted by: moon man | June 18, 2008 09:37 PM

The moon is a man and a woman combined; men see her in a woman, women see a man.

Cora Saying

Comment #2 Posted by: Earth | June 19, 2008 06:24 AM

unh?

Comment #3 Posted by: Anonymous | June 19, 2008 09:01 AM

Our dear friend, longtime Ojai resident and kindred spirit Frances McCann left her body this morning at 6:30 am. May her spirit fly free on this beautiful hot day after the full moon... the day before the summer solstice...

Her last days on Earth the only thing she wanted to eat was a few spoons of Haagen Das Coffee Icecream...

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