What makes the Sun appear to look bigger?

Question

You know when you look at the sun during midday it looks fairly small, about the same size as the moon appears to be. As it gets closer to sundown, the sun appears more red and bigger. And in some parts of the world the sun appears gigantic and 100 times bigger than normal. I know what causes the sun to change colors but I dont know what causes it to appear bigger.

And where can I go to see a bigger sun?

Answer 1

I think it has to do with our atmosphere.  Our atmosphere bends light and perhaps it makes the sun look bigger but looks like different colors like red or orange.  

Bending light also explains that during a total lunar eclipse that the moon would look reddish opposed to being completely darkened.

Answer 2

Feeling lazy, but here is a link to a website that has your answer:  http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/questio...

Answer 3

It is just because of the distance.. the sun is very large that's why it doesn't look sooo small. If you came closer to the sun.. the bigger it will appear. Like the other stars.. the stars are light years away from earth and still they are visible but not all stars of course. it's just the same as the sun... the only solution is the distance...

Answer 4

none of the answers but Harvey Manfredjensenden 's ( the 3rd answer) is true.

the link explains everything you need to know .

Answer 5

100 times bigger is a exaggeration... but in fact, your brain causes this effect. High in the sky, there is no visual reference to estimate it's size against. Close to the ground, you have trees, houses, etc which help your brain estimate the size of the sun.

When you make a  photo of the sun with a good filter, it will ALWAYS have the same size, it will just appear larger when you have objects close to it. But when you finally measure the size of the sun in all photographs, it is always the same size.

Answer 6

Maybe the area the current rotation area the location is at the moment. Or maybe like gas explosions on the sun sort of stick out bunch of flames making it look bigger. Thats my 2 cents. :)

Answer 7

Concerning the Apparent Difference Between the Size of the Sun at Sunset and Noon

By Capt. Raleigh C. Willems, USAF Training Analysis and Development Division, Mather Air Force Base



Blast From the Past

The following article originally appeared in the ION Journal, NAVIGATION in June 1952 (Vol. 3, No 4).

It appears that some navigators do not understand why the sun appears larger at sunset and sunrise than it does at noon. One of the more popular misconceptions is that it is caused by refraction. Actually, refraction makes the sun appear smaller at rising or setting, because there is more refraction acting on the lower limb of the sun (because of its lower altitude) than on the upper limb. You can check this. Measure the horizontal and vertical diameter of the sun at noon with a transit. You will find it approximately 32 minutes of arc each way. Repeat this measure- ment at sunset. The horizontal diameter will still be 32 minutes of arc. The vertical diameter will be approximately 27 minutes.

Our eyes give our brains a false impression of apparent size for the following reason: To the observer on the surface of the earth, the sky looks like a large, flat dome instead of a hemisphere. Points on this flat dome which are at the observer’s zenith appear to be nearer to him than points on the rim of the dome (the observer’s horizon). Haze near the horizon aids the illusion of greater distance. The human eye automatically makes allowance for distant objects appearing smaller than closer objects of the same size. The image of the sun received by the eye is the same size (discounting the refraction effect) at both the horizon and the zenith. However, because of the illusion of greater distance at the horizon, the eye makes an adjustment in the message transmitted to the brain and the sun appears larger.

You can check this illusion in an effective, if undignified, manner. Face away from the setting sun, bend down, and look at it from between your legs. The sun will appear smaller than it did at noon.

Answer 8

It looks bigger simply because it's closer to the ground. When the sun (or moon) is high in the sky, with no reference points near it, it appears smaller. When you see it beside a tree or a house, it appears huge by comparison. This even works when the sun or moon sets on the ocean, because you're still seeing it relative to you entire horizon field.

Answer 9

The effect that makes the sun appear larger is the same effect that gives us the "harvest moon" which also appear much larger.

As the sun (or the moon) gets near the horizon the differences in the refraction of the atmosphere causes the sun (and moon) to become kind of elliptical in appearance.  This "squashed" profile is interpreted by the image processing part of our brain in such a way that we "see" the sun (or moon) as a larger object.

One way to test this out is to view a large sun (or moon) and then quickly rotate your head 90 degrees - so a line between your two pupils will be vertical.  The "large" sun (or moon) should instantly shrink back to a normal size.

Answer 10

good question. The sun is rotating both ways. If you are closest to the sun it will look bigger. I dont know the rotation patterns. ask nasa

Answer 11

A magnifing glass.

Answer 12

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