In early evening, why sometimes does the moon look larger in the sky when it's just above the horizon?
823013
It's an optical illusion.  When the Moon is low on the horizon, we can easily compare its size with the size of familiar things like trees and buildings, while when it is high in the sky we can't compare it as easily.\n\nTo prove this to yourself, the next time you see the Moon, hold your pinky finger up at arms length to "cover" the Moon, and you'll notice it covers the Moon quite easily.  Make a mental note of the size of your little finger compared to the size of the Moon.  Now the next time you see the Moon look huge along the horizon, do the pinky thing again, and you'll notice it's really the same size as before.
580957
When the light from the sun hits the earth some of the light (The higher frequency or blue light) gets trapped or rather scattered by the smaller molecules in the atmosphere.  This scattering makes the sky blue because these particles reflect this blue light.\nAt night the light we are seeing is  the light of  the sun reflected off of the moon and it is much less intense.
1152361
This is an optical illusion caused when the moon is near the horizon.  In angular terms, the moon appears to move with an angular velocity of about 14.5 degrees per hour (15 degrees per hour due to the earth's rotation, minus approx. 1/28 of that to account for the moon's revolution around the earth in what appears to be the opposite direction).\n\nWhen the moon is near the horizon, we perceive it as moving more rapidly because our eyes have the reference point of the earth's surface to compare.\n\nWhen it is high in the sky, there is no convenient reference point on earth nearby. The other stars, etc. also appear to move at about 15 degrees per hour due to the earth's rotation - so the apparent motion of the moon compared to them is much less than the apparent motion with respect to the earth.
439041
The Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun AND 400 times closer. Why? I don't think there is any real reason, we are just lucky.
869305
The appearance of the Moon is also dependent on the fact the the Earth is rotating on its axis. Objects appear at the horizon, drift overhead and slip below the horizon again. that is the main reason the Moon looks as it does.\n\n;-D The Moon is romantic! Let's not forget that!
410954
The Earth is round.\nObviously at lower latitudes you view the moon from a different angle than what you would at higher latitudes.\nSo that at the equater the moon when rising would look like a bowl from that angle in that phase.
411513
Dust in the upper atmosphere of Earth can make the moon appear to be yellow or orange, even red. The effect is strongest when the moon is near the horizon.
1179944
it is strongest between 10am and 2pm.  this is because as the sun rises from the horision the light (and other radiations) are being filtered through more atmosphere. as the sun climbs higher it is comming more directly at you, peeking at noon(ish). Finally as the sun sets it reverses the process and again becomes filtered through more atmosphere.
736872
It's an optical illusion. When it's near the horizon there are points of reference within your field of vision so your brain can correctly assess the size of it whereas high in the sky, there's nothing for the brain to use to assess size.
326074
Braxton Paul has two out of the three reasons.\n\nOne has to do with frames of reference.  There are objects on the horizon to which the Sun or Moon can be compared.  Try holding your finger up against the Moon when it is rising or setting vs. when it is overhead.  \n\nAnother as to do with the nature of the atmosphere, which makes the Sun or Moon look larger when their light passes through more of it.  \n\nBut Carl Sagan discussed an experiment carried out in a darkened planetarium dome, where it was demonstrated that even without reference objects, we tend to perceive objects at the horizon as larger than objects overhead.  We have no explanation for why this is so.
1079025
no it is a reflection of the suns light.  That is why you can still see the moon during the day soemtimes.  It is still getting light from the sun.
1038744
The moon is only visible because the Sun light reflects off of it. Even if the Sun is in the sky at the  same time, we will see it. The Moon circles the Earth every 28 days. While the Earth rotates once every 24 hours. The result is that the Moon seems to change position in the sky by 1/28 of a full rotation every day. During that cycle, the Sun and Moon will be in the daytime sky at least half the time. Sometimes we don't notice the Moon because it is only a small wedge or the clouds hide it. \nBy the way, Venus is also visible during daylight hours during some of it's rotation,  but it is a very tiny  pinpoint of light and is very hard to locate even if it is bright.
957189
This is an optical illusion - It has to do with how the brain interpretes things that are in front of you compared to above you. Try this for yourself: Take a dime and hold it out in front of you to cover the moon. You will see the moon is the same size both in front and overhead.
444832
As the light from the sun enters the atmosphere, the atmosphere bends it a certain amount. Because the sun is closer to the horizon at sunrise and sunset, there is more atmosphere to bend the incoming light rays. Hence, the sun appears larger at sunrise and sunset because of atmospheric lensing.
786050
This effect is caused by the atmosphere of the earth. \n\nThe reason for the orange color is due to the scattering of light by the atmosphere. When the moon is near the horizon, the moonlight must pass through much more atmosphere than when the moon is directly overhead. By the time the moonlight reaches your eyes, the blue, green, and purple pieces of visible light have been scattered away by air molecules. That's why you only see yellow, orange, or red.\n\nThe moon can have an orange color at any time of the year. Sometimes the moon appears orange even when it's directly overhead. This occurs when there's a lot of dust, smoke, or pollution in the atmosphere. The size of those particles will determine the type of color you will see.\n\nHope that helps! ^^
980339
Of course, that won't help you figure out how high it is in the sky each night at a specific time if you are trying to fill in a moon observing lab that you failed to do.  \n\nI will help you this much: the moon rises 50 minutes later each night (about 12 degrees further east at the same time each night) and is more or less directly overhead at midnight when it is full.  If you figure out where it should be at a particular time each night, you deserve credit for the lab.
289555
The Moon's apparent size is an illusion based on its apparent proximity to other objects (stars, mountains, trees, buildings).  The Moon alone in the "middle of the sky" can seem quite small, but a few foreground objects of the correct relative proportion will impart the illusion.\n\nTo "correct" the illusion, hold your thumb up at arms length and compare it to the moon at different times of the day and night (visibility dependent, of course).