The Ponzo Illusion

Have you ever noticed that when the moon is directly on the horizon it appears to be a lot closer and larger? Well, its not. Whats happening is actually something that your brain does all the time. Think about what happens when you see one of your friends on the horizon. Although they appear to be really small your brain doesnt actually interpret them as being that tiny. Something similar is going on with regards to the moon. Known as the Ponzo illusion, your brain inflates the size of the moon to make it appear larger than it really is. Dont believe it? Next time youre looking at an oversized moon block everything else out with your hands and watch it shrink.