Why does the sun look comparatively larger sometimes and not others?

Answer 1

It's an atmospheric trick. The atmosphere, when polluted with certain particles acts as a magnifying lense.

Answer 2

The elliptical orbit of the sun doesn't affect it's apparant size in our sky enough for the human eye to notice it consistently. The lensing effect of the atmosphere actually tends to make things look a tad smaller, not bigger. And, at the horizon, the sun is actually approxmately an Earth radius farther away from us than it is when it's at it's highest point in the sky, which would technically make it appear a tiny tiny bit smaller.

Why then does it appear larger on the horizon than it does in the sky? It's a trick of the mind. Some say it has to do with the fact that you have other objects to visually compare it to on the ground, but this is not necessarily true. There are many possible factors that could generate this phenomenon. For one thing, when you see the sun at the horizon, you can only compare it's size to the imperfect memory of what you remember it being hours earlier. This is a contributing factor. Some people don't actually experience this phenomenon, at least not consistently.

Be content to know though that it is just a trick of the mind, and nothing more.

Answer 3

That the Sun appears larger when it is on the horizon is just an optical illusion. The brain thinks that objects on the horizon should be farther away than objects overhead; since the Sun is the same apparent size in both places, the brain concludes that the Sun is physically bigger when it's on the horizon, and thus tricks you into thinking that the angular size is bigger than when it's overhead. This phenomenon is known as the Ponzo Illusion, and occurs for the Moon as well.

To convince yourself that this is, in fact, an optical illusion, put your head between your legs and look at the Sun upside down when it's on the horizon: it should look the same as it does when overhead.

Answer 4

The moon can often give the same effect when we see it. It is due to the closeness of the sun or the moon to the horizon. They are always the same size, but - a disk "all by itself" up high in the sky will appear to be smaller than if the same disk is near trees and buildings near the horizon. It is just an optical illusion!

Answer 5

It's an optical illusion based on where it is in relation to the horizon. If it is low, you have objects in the foreground to compare it to, thus it looks larger. Farther above the horizon, there are no longer an optical markers, and thus it looks smaller.
For instance a half dollar at ten feet will eclipse the moon to your eye no matter where it is relative to the horizon.

Answer 6

Because of the way the Earth revolves around the sun, we see it at different angles at different times. The Earth's orbit is elliptical (not a perfect circle) so at times the Earth is actually farther from the Sun than others.

Answer 7

Like the moon, the sun can look larger the closer to the equator you are.

Answer 8

I assume you're talking about different times of day. The sun looks bigger at sunrise and sunset than at noon because of the amount of air the light has to pass through. The atmosphere provides a lens effect, it's more noticable when the light has to pass through more air closer to the horizon.

Answer 9

Here is your answer:

http://www.boker.org.il/meida/tikshuv/iun/equinox/universe.jpg

At certain points during the year, the Earth is actually CLOSER to the sun!

It is the same thing when the moon looks bigger! The Earth is actually closer to the moon at certain times!

Answer 10

Because the earth's orbit is elliptical and sometimes the earth is closer to the sun than at other times.