Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1918 — When the Sun Seems Big. [ARTICLE]

When the Sun Seems Big.

We all know an optical illusion makes the setting sun seem larger and often of an oval shape, but a recent explanation by W. F. Badgley in Popular Astronomy of some of the causes which bring this about is interesting. The atmosphere near the earth’s surface, when hot and dusty, acts as a magnifying glass, s’o distant objects on the horizon are seen through a thick layer of air, which increases its size many times. Looking upward, we see through more rarified air, which does not possess the magnifying power.