Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Wow, I've wondered many times why the moon looked massive sometimes. Never thought it was an illusion.


If it wasn't an illusion, then the moon would literally be changing size depending on when you looked at it, by definition.


That depends what you mean by illusion. A heat mirage, which is a shiny patch floating just above the ground, is not an illusion -- in the sense that your eyes are really receiving light from a weird floaty shiny area just above the ground, and we can describe the physics that causes them to occur.

On the other hand, a heat mirage is an illusion in the sense that, if you go over and look for a reflective object, say a pool of water, at the location of the mirage, you'll find there's nothing there.

The moon illusion, unlike a mirage, is an illusion in that first, stronger, sense, but it didn't have to be. The image of the moon can change size in reality (for example, when viewed through a lens) without affecting the size of the actual moon.


Or just getting further away, or closer.


I just kept thinking my memory was poor since I knew the distance didn't change that much.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: