Tuesday, September 09, 2014

The final “super moon” of the year 2014 appeared above the eastern horizon as a large orange globe. Photograph, Oakham, Rutland

The final “super moon” of the year appeared tonight above the eastern horizon as a large orange globe.



The orange tint is an actual physical effect. The larger-than-usual size of a moon seen near the horizon, however, is mostly the result of a trick your eyes play on you, said Jim Todd of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

It’s called “the moon illusion,” said Todd, OMSI’s director of space science education, and it has puzzled sky watchers for thousands of years.