The Moon Illusion over New Zealand
This is a real-time video of moonrise over Wellington, New Zealand one night last week.
It's an extreme example of the moon illusion, the strong- but false- impression that the moon is larger when it appears on the horizon than when it is high overhead. The lack of other clearly visible objects to compare its size with when it's around the zenith is one possible explanation. But believe it or not, the moon is exactly the same size no matter where in the sky it appears!
Anyway, it's pretty awesome. Enjoy.
It's an extreme example of the moon illusion, the strong- but false- impression that the moon is larger when it appears on the horizon than when it is high overhead. The lack of other clearly visible objects to compare its size with when it's around the zenith is one possible explanation. But believe it or not, the moon is exactly the same size no matter where in the sky it appears!
Anyway, it's pretty awesome. Enjoy.
HT: Denise Struve
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