The other night I was walking and it was a half a moon but it was so close to Earth's atmosphere. Why does this happen?
2007-11-30 16:35:04 · 8 answers · asked by Austrian Theorist 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I suspect it was low down and the thickness of the Earth's atmosphere was magnifying it's image like a lens.
2007-11-30 16:55:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
use the "thumb trick". Your thumb covers the moon just as much whether the moon is high in the sky or near the horizon. When the moon is near the horizon, your eye is use to seeing things on earth close up and large (compared to the moon). So the moon also looks big as well.
2007-12-01 01:37:21 · answer #2 · answered by orion_1812@yahoo.com 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Moon is essentially the same size whether low on the horizon or high overhead. It's an optical illusion, known as the Moon Illusion, which makes it appear larger near the horizon.
2007-12-01 09:56:19 · answer #3 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi. It means that the Moon is close to the horizon and your mind has a reference.
2007-12-01 00:37:48 · answer #4 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No meaning... its actaully in essence the same distace from earth at all times. The atmosphere can distort things.
2007-12-01 00:38:32 · answer #5 · answered by Infinity 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What you might have seen was an atmospheric distortion. However, to answer your question, when the Moon is at its closest to Earth, it is referred to as "perigee" (the farthest point is apogee).
2007-12-01 00:53:14 · answer #6 · answered by David H. 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You have found just the right drugs, you lucky dog!
2007-12-01 00:53:50 · answer #7 · answered by Ultraviolet Oasis 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
There's no such thing as moon.
http://www.theflatearthsociety.com
2007-12-01 00:43:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋