Eli5, why does the moon appear larger earlier in the night, when it’s “rising” as opposed to later in the night when it’s higher in the sky?

Question

Eli5, why does the moon appear larger earlier in the night, when it’s “rising” as opposed to later in the night when it’s higher in the sky?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

Your perspective. When the moon is closer to the horizon you have things like trees, houses, water towers, etc. to “compare” it to. When it’s higher in the sky there’s nothing to compare it to.

If you could measure the width of the moon at the horizon (where it appears bigger) and then measure the width when it was higher in the sky, you’d find that the measurements are the same.

ELI5 = It’s an optical illusion.