Why does the sun seem bigger during sunrise & sunset?

Question

The sun seems to be bigger during sunrise and sunset, while in the middle of the day, it looks the smallest. Also, when it looks biggest, it doesn't feel hot at all. Why is that so?

Answer 1

Because it is an optical illusion.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

The sun appears larger at sunrise and sunset due to the refraction of the earths atmosphere. When the sun is low on the horizon, the light from the sun is traveling through more atmosphere than when it is directly over head, thus it is magnified by the atmosphere. The reason that it does not feel as hot when it is low on the horizon is because there is more atmosphere to filter out radiation, which is what we feel as heat.

Answer 4

Its quite a complex illusion. It does not occure if you take a picture of it and look at it - to get a large sun in a sunset picture you have to use a powerful lens.

It was once attributed to having reference objects on the horizon, but this is at least in part debunked now (the fact a photo does not show the illusion shows this - also, try looking at the sun at sundet wile standing on your head or with your head turned upside down).

It is at least in part due to the fact that the brain percieves red light differently.

But the actual disk of the sun if measured is exactly the same size at sunset.

Answer 5

It is an optical illusion. Your brain preceives obects on the horizon as being very distant and thus larger than nearer objects. Try comparing a coin to the moon when it is on the horizon, and at zenith (overhead). This dispels the illusion. (Never look directly at the sun.)
Regarding the heat; light and heat from the sun must pass through much more atmosphere at rising or setting which dissipates the rays.

Answer 6

It looks bigger for the same reason that it looks red. When the sun is on the horizon, its light has to pass through more air, so its light is scattered more.

In short, the sun looks bigger because it is out of focus. Take a picture with a digital camera, and you will see how small it looks when the camera auto focuses it (just don't look through the view finder -- you will hurt your eye).

Indirect rays always fell less warm.

Answer 7

Light is bent as it moves trough the atmosphere. This bending makes the sun and moon apperar lager at the horizons. It also changes the colors we see. That is why we see red sunsets. The same goes for the heat waves coming trough the atmosphere. At noon the waves pass almost straight trough. Morning and evening they are bent and dispersed.

Answer 8

Because when you look at the horizon you can see more gases. The gases distorted the sun and make it seem larger. When the sun is higher in the sky you are looking at less gases so the size looks smaller

Answer 9

When the Sun (or moon) rises there are things near it to compare it to. After it rises, it's up there all alone with nothing there for your eye to compare it to