Science | moon There's a Huge Moon on the Rise Solstice makes heavenly body look bigger tonight, tomorrow—but it's an illusion By Nick McMaster Posted Jun 17, 2008 4:59 PM CDT Copied The nearly full moon rises in the background as a horse eat grass in a field in Bloomsburg, Pa., after the sunset Monday, June 16, 2008, following a thunder storm which moved across the region. (AP Photo/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, Jimmy May) Northern Hemisphere residents, check out the night sky tomorrow for an extra-large-looking moon. The moon illusion—a trick our brain plays on us—is enhanced by the summer solstice, and when Earth's satellite rises close to the horizon, conditions are perfect, LiveScience notes. The illusion works because our brains interpret things seen near the horizon as farther away than things overhead. Because we know the moon is not actually farther, we see it as larger. And, despite their celestial seasoning, space-station astronauts experience the same phenomenon. Read These Next That 'buy now, pay later' loan may soon hit your credit score. Cops: Arizona 5th graders drew up plot to 'end' a classmate. The Bezos-Sanchez wedding: guest list, cost, the dress, and more. The DOJ just fired 3 prosecutors tied to Capitol riot criminal cases. Report an error