Dude the moon is huge!

[Dinner]

I know this is an optical effect of the Earth's atmosphere but tonight the moon appears to be HUGE! We're talking 4-5 times its normal size. To make it even more dramatic there are fires burning north of where I am in Orange County, CA so the sky has a fiery red orange hue which tints this giant moon the color orange. I saw it rising around 10pm and at first it lite up the sky behind the branches of some distant eucalyptus trees but now it has cleared the eucalyptus trees and it just looks glorious. A giant bright orange moon with tall trees just ever so slightly below it and back lite in the moon light.

I've never seen anything like this before. It's one of a kind.

[Dinner]

It's still fairly low on the horizon so no doubt it is because there is so much hot air which it is being viewed through (77 degrees at 11:11 at night) and maybe something to do with the fire but it appears much, much larger then usual. It's like the cover of the movie MoonStruck but with an orange-red moon instead of the bright white one.

[SlowwHand]

What kind of acid is it?

[Dinner]

The type which kills stupid Texans.

[zakubandit]

Shrooms then?

[KrazyHorse]

I know this is an optical effect of the Earth's atmosphere

No.

[KrazyHorse]

so no doubt it is because there is so much hot air which it is being viewed through

No.

[Dinner]

It is definitely an optical effect!

[KrazyHorse]

What do you mean by that? In the broad sense it's a tautology that this is an optical effect. In the narrow sense of physical optics, it is not.

It is an illusion caused by the way that your brain processes signals from your eyes.

If you hold a dime out at arm's length next to the moon the dime will be ~2X as wide as the moon (the full moon), whether at the horizon or at the zenith (directly above).

There are some (physical) optical effects on apparent shapes and sizes of celestial bodies, but they are not particularly dramatic (except in certain very special circumstances).

[KrazyHorse]

The angular diameter of both the moon and sun as seen from Earth is ~half a degree, while the angular diameter of a dime held at arm's length (depending on the length of your arms of course) is ~1 degree.

The "giant moon" effect is purely physiological/neurological/psychological.

[Dinner]

Tautology.

The moon didn't change sizes, obviously, so its apparent magnification must be an optical illusion generated by something between the Earth and the moon (meaning the Earth's atmosphere). All the one liners claiming I'm wrong are just wrong. It is an optical effect (I.E. illusion). People are not crazy because they really are seeing what they see, ergo, it is an optical illusion. Duh!

[KrazyHorse]

The moon didn't change sizes, obviously, so its apparent magnification must be an optical illusion generated by something between the Earth and the moon (meaning the Earth's atmosphere).

I'm not going to bother arguing with you Oerdin. Look it up on google if you'd like. It is not a physical, optical effect. The angular diameter of the moon is basically independent of its position on the sky.

But hey, why should you believe me, right?

[KrazyHorse]

By the way, you do realize who you're arguing with, right? I'd suggest that before you respond again you spend 30 seconds looking the answer up on google.

[Dinner]

I've read about how people have been arguing about it for 2000 years. Its still an illusion but a real one which people see so I'm right and you're wrong.

[KrazyHorse]

Oerdin, you're a ****ing moron. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.