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

We think its because near the horizon you have known objects to compare its size to.

Its easily testable that it is just an optical illusion and no size change is happening, hold a coin at arms length and it will cover the moon both near the horizon and at the zenith by the same amount.