With the first new moon of the year coming today,
January 11, here is an interesting moon fact. Have you ever wondered
why the Moon looks bigger on the horizon? Well, it turns out it’s
not because it is closer to you or anything of the sort. It’s an
illusion, known as the Ponzo Illusion. What’s happening is actually
something that your brain does all the time. The lines are the same
width, but the converging lines trick our brain to make the further
line appear larger.
Think about what happens when you see one of your friends on the
horizon. Although they appear to be really small, your brain doesn't actually interpret them as being that tiny. Something similar is
going on with regards to the Moon. Your brain inflates the size of
the Moon to make it appear larger than it really is. Don’t believe
it? Next time you’re looking at an over-sized moon, block everything
else out with your hands and watch it shrink.
