The MOON. Last three days on early drive to work it has looked completely different. Why?

Question

The last three days coming to work, the moon was HUGE and yellow and on the horizon the other day (Central time around 5:45 a.m.). Then, on Thursday at around the same time it was almost white, much higher in the sky and seemingly further away, i.e. very much unlike Wednesdays 'moon'....Today it was even higher and seemingly farther away? I know it's full moon, but what gives to make it look totally different three straight days when the weather here has been virtually the same and the shift from fall to winter only happens in small increments? Anyone else notice it?????

Answer 1

http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/moon_ap_per.html

Answer 2

The moon is getting "higher" at the same time each night because you're looking to the western sky, and the moon is traveling west-to-east in its orbit around the earth. Each night, it sets about an hour later than the previous night.

When the moon is higher above the horizon, it appears "farther away" or "smaller." That's a well-documented optical illusion.

The coloration near the horizon is just due to our atmosphere. You look through a thicker layer of air when you look out to the horizon than when you look straight up. And thicker air, like a thicker pane of glass, creates more discoloration.

You should have seen the sun and moon here in Southern California for the past few days / nights. They've been red because of the smoke from all the fires. Last night's moon was big, full, and bloody-red. Perfect for Halloween!

Answer 3

When the moon is in it's waxing phases (when the phase is getting larger night by night), it rises later in the day, and therefore sets later in the early hours of the morning. It rises about 1 hour and 10 minutes later each day, and sets the same amount of time later.

Now as you drove to work on the first day, the moon was close to setting. It looks yellow near the horizon because of the Earth's atmosphere, and it looks larger also. Why it looks larger is a whole new matter, though it's not for the reasons many people think.

The morning after, it was going to set more than an hour later, so it was higher in the sky. Because it was further from the horizon, it looked white as normal, and the illusion that makes it look larger when close to the horizon wasn't happening. Likewise by another hour or so on Friday.

It wasn't full every night, but so close to full that you can hardly tell the difference.

And the moon does vary between 223,000 miles and 254,000 miles from the Earth each month, because the orbit is an ellipse, not a circle. But the difference in size because of that is not noticeable from one night to the next.

Answer 4

The different colors you describe are due to seeing the moon through much more of Earth's atmosphere when it's low to the horizon than when it's higher in the sky. Much more atmosphere means more dust, smog, etc.,. The size differences are strictly a kind of trick our eyes play on us. When the moon is quite high in the sky there are fewer visual references against which its size can be compared than when it's low on the horizon. If you were to actually measuring the angular size of the moon low on the horizon and then higher in the sky you'd find that the sizes are identical.

Answer 5

An interesting question. I found two sources that may help. The moons orbit is not circular but an ellipse which effects the view of the moon in a way called libration.
http://www.badastronomy.com/bitesize/bigmoon.html
Libration refers to various orbital conditions which make it possible to see more than 50 percent of the moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libration
The moon would look bigger or smaller at times even if the position is well above the horizon.

Answer 6

When the moon is high in the sky there is nothing to compare it with and its apparent size is a matter of judgment. A distant bird may be mistaken for an even more distant plane. On the horizon the moon often looks large because it is distant but can be compared to hills or mountains, etc. The color and brightness of the moon depend in part upon the length of the path of its light through the atmosphere which diffuses or scatters selectively certain wavelengths (colors). When the moon is nearly full the sun light is reflected more directly back to us and appears brighter (see albedo). It is like shining a flashlight at night straight down on an asphalt road instead of at an angle. If there is smoke, etc. high in the atmosphere, the color may change as in 'once in a blue moon.'

Answer 7

The moon occasionally moves from its orbit in earth ever so slightly, yet it seems so much as our perception of sight through the atmosphere is dramtically enhanced.
So that is y it seems so big, and as 4 the moon being yellow,
that is usually the effect of a fire in the vicinity of where the 'yellow moon' is being observed from.

Answer 8

It looks big when it's near the horizon. It just seems smaller and bluer when it's higher up, same as the sun.

Answer 9

so far everyone is wrong. its 30% closer than normal, which is called perigee and when its on the horizon on clear fall nights you can compare it to objects on earth far away so it looks bigger!

Answer 10

yesterday was de day wen de moon was closest 2 de earth so it obviously looks bigger and brighter.the moon too rotates so it looks different on different days.the moon being farther away may be just a feeling u have had.