lunar eclipse coming up

[julesjones]

From my email:

NASA Science News for June 24, 2010

This Saturday morning, June 26th, there's going to be a lunar eclipse—and for many residents of
the USA, it's going to be a big one. The eclipse will occur as the Moon is setting, prompting the
"Moon Illusion" to magnify the event to truly beautiful proportions.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/24jun_lunareclipse/

***

Not visible in Europe, alas. However, I have seen a moonrise eclipse, and the Moon Illusion made it spectacular. Particularly as I watched the Moon rise out of the ocean, for maximum illusion effect.

Comments

[vaughan-steph.livejournal.com]

I once spent an eerie 10 minutes or so following ET lights that turned out to be a low-hanging moon shining through a bunch of Eucalyptus trees. Sure, I felt like an idiot when I figured it out. But at the time, it was a total Roy Neary moment.

For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. In fact, a low Moon is no wider than any other Moon—cameras prove it—but the human brain insists otherwise.