QUESTION #363

Do the moon and sun appear larger on the horizon, or is it just me?

Asked by: Jon Reimer

Answer

This is an interesting question because there is no universal agreement on the answer. An interesting experiment that you can perform is when you see a large full moon near the horizon, turn around facing away from it. Then bend over and look at the moon between your legs. Most people see it as a normal size. For a full discussion of the various theories see the following URL:

http://facstaff.uww.edu/mccreadd/introduction.html
Answered by: Robert Gardner, M.S., Retired Physicist