February 13, 2008

  • Goodness, has it really been almost a week since my last post?

    And the topic came to me courtesy of Dan.

    Tah-dah!  He sent me this cool photo of a sunset at the North Pole:

    NorthPol

    The big thing is the moon, you see.  Isn't that something?  To think that views and scenes such as this are occurring all the time around the universe?

    And I'd just like someone to try to tell me THAT moon is actually the same size as it'd be higher in the sky, and it's just the horizon that makes it look so big.

    Don't believe it when it's the full moon rising over downtown Fort Worth, and wouldn't believe it of the moon at the North Pole, either. 

Comments (10)

  • Beautiful, but.....BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

  • Gorgeous!

    Last fall we went down to the river to watch the Harvest Moon -- it's always so HUGE and wonderful, it's my favorite full moon.  I'm sure we all looked goofy, but we tried something I read about:  stand with your back to the moon then bend over at the waist and look at the moon upside down from between your legs, the way toddlers like to look at the world.  Believe it or not, when you do that, the moon is its "right" size again.  It really is a perception thing, but I still don't understand.  I just love those huge moons.

  • Aw. Mr. Moon is smiling.

  • How beautiful.  I think Texas has some pretty awesome sunsets too, though.

  • Texas has beautiful sunsets, but not with a moon THAT size.

    And Kelly, that is fascinating to think about, but my age, stage, and physique forbid my assuming the stance necessary to test your assertion.

    Jane, YOU do it. >;^>

  • I'll have you know that my dh was the only one of the party who did not test it -- I believe he felt he must maintain some dignity before children, whilst I could not but be benefitted by doing something silly for once.

  • Nice bit of digital art you've got there. And most definitely not a picture from the north pole. Sorry Anne.

    http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/northpole.asp

  • You're a nuisance, Moosie. I like thinking it's the North Pole, and who says Snopes is always right on the money, eh? You ever think about that?

    Dollars to donuts there's precedent for that site having declared something bogus that wasn't.

    Like that picture.

    (Hmmmm....there's a old saying about situations such as this. Something about a messenger? Now, what isit...?)

  • I was wondering if anyone was going to pour doubt on that photo! The reason being: it is pretty well known that the disc of the moon will exactily cover the disc of the sun, if super-imposed upon it, as happens in a solar eclipse. That being true, there's no reason that the sun should not be seen with the same optical illusion as the moon, when close down to the horizon, and in fact, it is. When it's viewable, on account of smog or fog or clouds (it being too bright, sans dimmers, to gaze upon) it also is HUGE, and sinks into the sea or the horizon like a gigantic orange. So there's simply no way that a picture could be taken that showed the sun as so microscopically dinky in comparison to the moon.

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