2007-01-23 14:31:58 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
At that low angle of sunset the sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere. The more atmosphere the light has to pass through, the greater the amount of refraction, resulting in both the redder colors of sunset and the optical illusion of the Sun looking bigger. Its an effect called Mie Scattering but thats probably too much info. Rayleigh scattering is responsible for the sky being blue.
2007-01-23 14:55:51 · answer #1 · answered by Beach_Bum 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your mind is playing tricks on you! The Sun looks bigger because of an optical illusion. When the Sun is near the horizon, it sometimes seems to be much bigger and closer than during the rest of the day. At Sunrise or Sunset, your brain has other objects to compare the Sun's size to, such as trees and buildings.
2007-01-23 20:22:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Earth's atmosphere bends the rays from the sun, making it look distorted, sort of like looking through a magnifying glass. Thus, it looks biggest closest to the horizon, and smallest when it is overhead, the same goes for the moon. It is hotter when it is overhead because the surface is receiving the full amount of solar radiation. It is cooler when it is near sunrise and sunset because the rays from the sun are hitting the surface at an angle, rather than dead on.
2016-05-24 02:51:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's just an optical illusion. When the sun is right there on the horizon and you're looking at objects on earth and they look so small compared to the sun and the sun looks way bigger now than it does when it's in the sky when there's no objects around it.
2007-01-23 14:35:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's an optical illusion. The moon also looks bigger when it is close to the horizon. This is because you see it close to other distant objects (hills, trees, buildings, etc), and it makes the moon look bigger in comparison.
2007-01-23 14:36:57 · answer #5 · answered by Andrew 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an optical illusion, but a complicated one. It's the same reason the Moon looks bigger on the horizen. There's an explanation on www.badastronomy.com and www.wikipedia.org.
2007-01-23 14:35:51 · answer #6 · answered by eri 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The light from the sun at that angle cross more atmosphere and "change" the size and color of the star. It's a little complicated.
2007-01-23 14:47:36 · answer #7 · answered by Lost. at. Sea. 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
OPTICAL ILLUSION. FRAME OF REFERENCE. ANGLE OF BEND. hold your finger up against it.
DON'T LOOK DIRECLTY IN TO THE SUN, son.
2007-01-23 14:37:16 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
During rotations of the planets, that's were the sun is closest to the earth...
2007-01-23 14:36:14 · answer #9 · answered by haystacklova2396 1 · 0⤊ 5⤋
its wide
2007-01-23 14:43:32 · answer #10 · answered by LuvNatalie 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋