FratFiles

• Save Paper

The Shrinking Moon

Everyone has no doubt seen a large orange glowing disk hiding behind the trees and buildings on the horizon in the fall. The Harvest Moon, probably the most famous Moon, is an excellent example of the apparent change in size and color the moon goes through as it rises above the horizon, and then above us into the night sky. On the horizon, the Moon appears to be much larger and has a deeper orange tint than the usual white it gives off when directly above us in the night sky. Is this apparent change in size a trick or optical illusion, or is there some outside force at work that causes the Moon to move closer on the horizon? This is the question that this paper will attempt to test, discuss, and solve.
When rising just above the horizon, the Moon appears to be larger than when it is directly above us on the celestial sphere. However, it is really the same actual size as it is at any other point in the sky. The Moon’s orbit is nearly a perfect circle with an......

View the rest of this paper...

Approximate Word Count: 644
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

Similar Essays

1. The Shriking Moon
   

   The shriking Moon. The Shrinking Moon Everyone has no doubt seen a large orange
   glowing disk hiding behind the trees and buildings on the horizon in the fall. ...