Slashdot Mirror


Low-Hanging Moon Explained

gollum123 wrote to mention a BBC article which explains the low-hanging moon of the past few nights. From the article:"For the past few nights the moon has appeared larger than many people have seen it for almost 20 years. It is the world's largest optical illusion, and one of its most enduring mysteries. The mystery of the Moon Illusion, witnessed by millions of people this week, has puzzled great thinkers for centuries. There is still no agreed on explaination for why the moon appears bigger when it's on the horizon than when it's high in the night sky."

1 of 381 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Actually... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Informative
    Easy explanation:

    Step 1: look at the moon near the horizon

    Step 2: now, block out the horizon and all other objects with your hands, and look at the moon

    The moon looks MUCH smaller whe you frame it with your hands and block out the extraneous stuff.

    Also works with the sun, etc.