Who Is Right About the Sun's Position and Size?

  • Level: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Raul Lai
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Book
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
5 replies · 4K views
Raul Lai
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Recently, I have read a old book with an article about two kids arguing the problem of Sun.

One day, Confucius heard two kids arguing on the road.
One said "in the morning, the sun rises, it is closer to the ground and look as big as a roof of the carriage. In the afternoon , the sun is far from the ground and look like a dish. It is because an object at faraway place look smaller than the close."
Another said " It should be reversed. In the morning, it is cooler ,but at noon, we seem to be living in the hot water. Since we are nearing a heat source, we feel hotter."

Actually, who is right and why?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org

Discussion

The image of the sun near the horizon is part illusion and part due to atmospheric refraction. While the image is not really larger, it is distorted making the sun appear to be an oblate spheroid [oval] at the horizon. The illusory part can be blamed on the brain, which fools itself into believing the sun is closer when near the ground. I believe this is at least partly related to our instinctive fear of heights. Which appears more distant, the tenth rung of a ladder as it leans against your house, or the tenth rung of the same ladder lying flat on the ground? The other boy is also wrong for more obvious reasons [the sun has already been shining for half the day].
 
Confusious say " Man who sees sunrise, will live his life, and see sunset."