No moon illusion?

[ollypenrice]

Woke up early this morning and looked out of the front door to see the moon nicely framed by the Col d'Etoile to our south west. It then struck me that the moon looked rather small, even decidedly so, despite being on the horizon where we expect the 'moon illusion' to make it look large. I'm wondering, now, whether the fact of being cradled in a valley-shaped horizon negates the illusion.

 

 

So do these 'moons' below look different sizes to you?

Olly

 

 

 

[AKB]

Isn’t the acid test for this to turn away from the moon and bend down and view it through your legs?

Did you try that?

 

[alan potts]

Unusual that Olly, and they both look the same size to me in the drawing, I wonder if big moon has to do with water content of the atmostphere as well

[alan potts]

1 minute ago, AKB said:

Isn’t the acid test for this to turn away from the moon and bend down and view it through your legs?

Did you try that?

 

Whilst singing at the top of your voice.

 

[AKB]

11 minutes ago, alan potts said:

Whilst singing at the top of your voice.

No, no.  This is real: The moon illusion: a different view through the legs.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454481

 

[AKB]

...also struck by the similarity between Olly’s image (beautifully rendered) and the railway track one in this article...

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/moon-illusion-confusion11252015/

 

(Photo credit NASA?)

[ollypenrice]

13 minutes ago, AKB said:

...also struck by the similarity between Olly’s image (beautifully rendered) and the railway track one in this article...

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/moon-illusion-confusion11252015/

 

(Photo credit NASA?)

Yes, that is rather better than mine! In fact I had it in the back of my mind that I'd seen a demonstration like this, perhaps even this one, my memory being abominable... Great link, thanks.

Olly

[ollypenrice]

23 minutes ago, AKB said:

Isn’t the acid test for this to turn away from the moon and bend down and view it through your legs?

Did you try that?

 

I'm not really the right shape for doing that...

?lly

[Saganite]

22 minutes ago, AKB said:

...also struck by the similarity between Olly’s image (beautifully rendered) and the railway track one in this article...

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/moon-illusion-confusion11252015/

 

(Photo credit NASA?)

Not seen this before, but it really does demonstrate the illusion.

[Mr Spock]

The mind can play some incredible tricks on us.

We only have to think back to Schiaparelli and other Mars observers who see things that aren't really there. It's all in the mind.

Though with the Moon, I am convinced I can see the home of the soup dragon...

[AKB]

5 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I am convinced I can see the home of the soup dragon...

...strange that you should mention that: my wife is knitting one at the moment (yes, really!)

Although, actually, I believe that they live on a “moon-like planet.”

[ollypenrice]

2 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

The mind can play some incredible tricks on us.

We only have to think back to Schiaparelli and other Mars observers who see things that aren't really there. It's all in the mind.

Though with the Moon, I am convinced I can see the home of the soup dragon...

The best comment ever made on Martian canals came from the great E.E. Barnard. 'I can't see 'em.'

Perfect.

Olly

[Dinglem]

 

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Woke up early this morning and looked out of the front door to see the moon nicely framed by the Col d'Etoile to our south west. It then struck me that the moon looked rather small, even decidedly so, despite being on the horizon where we expect the 'moon illusion' to make it look large. I'm wondering, now, whether the fact of being cradled in a valley-shaped horizon negates the illusion.

 

 

So do these 'moons' below look different sizes to you?

Olly

 

 

 

I suspect this was just a ploy by @ollypenrice to start a Mexican wave on the forum