XPost: sci.physics, sci.physics.electromag   
   From: gah@ugcs.caltech.edu   
      
   In sci.physics.electromag "Anonymous Remailer (austria)"  wrote:   
      
      
   (snip, I wrote)   
      
   >> Next, can you explain why the moon looks bigger near the horizon   
   >> than when it is high in the sky? It is easy to show that the   
   >> angular size is the same in both cases, but subjectively the   
   >> size is different.   
      
   > Somebody posted his theory - said he was working on it - that the   
   > reason is because our brains are wired to see things above us as   
   > nearer than those in front of us.   
      
   > And the reason for that is that when our great...grandfathers were   
   > chipmunks, the danger was from above - a pterodactyl or something   
   > of the sort swooping down.   
      
   > What's your theory?   
      
   I agree that it is because it seems closer, but I thought it was   
   that there is nothing to compare the distance with. We can see   
   that it is farther away than some trees, mountains, or other   
   objects on earth. If you were near a tall tree, then you would   
   have some reference up, but even that would be much closer than   
   a tree on the horizon.   
      
   -- glen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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