Why does the moon look close some nights and far away on other nights? – Gabriel H., age 7, Providence, Rhode Island
Some nights the Moon seems really close and bigger than usual.
One summer evening when I was a child, I remember being mystified and then startled at a huge round shape slowly creeping up behind my friend Nancy’s house, which sat on a hill on the other side of our village.
At some point I suddenly realized it was the Moon, and I ran yelling through the garden to tell my dad and get him to come and see. It was bigger than a house, deep orange in color and surely of great significance. My dad muttered something about perspective and went back to gardening or playing the piano.
Unconvinced, I kept watching the Moon. Later, once the Moon had risen higher in the sky, it was back to looking like its usual self.
Welcome to what astronomers like me call the Moon illusion.
It can be hard to believe that it is just an illusion when the Moon looks huge, but it is true. You can actually test the illusion yourself and even capture it with a camera.