It's an illusion That has puzzled individuals from the realms of philosophy and science across millennia—but what is the reason behind this? Moon appear bigger when it rises or sets?
Queries about the visual illusion of the moon seeming bigger when it's close to the horizon can be traced back as far as the 4th century BCE.
That's right, even Aristotle He rubbed his chin as he contemplated the cause of this phenomenon. His conclusion was that the Earth’s atmosphere might have some sort of magnification effect that distorts how we perceive the moon.
At the point where the horizon meets the sky, the place where the moon illusion becomes evident, the philosopher surmised that light must travel through a thicker layer of the Earth’s thick atmosphere. This passage acts akin to a magnifying lens, amplifying what we perceive.
According to this theory, Aristotle grasped how the moon illusion deceives the human eye instead of attributing it to the moon or outer space—although not all of his ideas were equally perceptive.
It’s an optical illusion for humans since even though photographs taken of the moon show consistent dimensions every night, our perception makes it seem as if its size changes in the evening sky.
Therefore, we have all acknowledged that this phenomenon is due to an optical illusion, with modern explanations attributing it to our brain’s inability to accurately gauge the Moon’s actual size and distance.
Nonetheless, there isn't a definitive explanation for this phenomenon; one potential cause might be the influence of our environment on how we perceive things — such as trees, mountains, and structures that lead us to believe the moon appears bigger and nearer when it's near the horizon.
When the moon sits high in the sky without anything nearby for scale, it can seem more distant and diminutive.
Does that sound familiar? It should, as the Ponzo illusion works similarly. The pair of converging lines alters how we perceive two lines of identical length.
Even though we might believe the top line appears bigger and more distant, this is incorrect; in reality, both lines are identical in size.
If unsure, we can check with NASA regarding this lunar optical effect.
"Without a full understanding of why we perceive it this way, we can still concur that whether real or an illusion, a large Moon remains a breathtaking spectacle," according to the space agency. IFL Science.
So, until we figure out precisely what our minds are doing, it’s likely for the best to simply appreciate the Moon illusion and the moody, atmospheric, and occasionally eerie scenes it generates.
Consider this the next time you look up at the moon...
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