Lunar coincidence

[Mello_ 180]

Lunar diameter is c.3500km and distance lunar earth is c.385 000 km.
Diameter of sun is c. 1390 000 km and distance sun earth is c. 150 000 000 km.

Math:

Distance lunar earth/lunar diameter is equal sun earth diatance/ solar diameter

What a coincidence that we evolved in geolocical era just when lunar perfectly cover sun during eclipse?

Circa:

150 000 000 km (solar earth)/385 000km (lunar earth)= c.400
1.390.000 km (solar diameter)/ 3500 km (lunar diameter)= c.400

 

And why the Lunar looks bigger near horozont anyway?

 

[Rlyeh 17,610]

If you got the actual numbers accurate you'd notice the ratio is similar not equal.

[Mello_ 180]

Circa usually means similar, close to..

But you get even closer if use better messurments. Anyway I dont need math to see lunar or solar. I see them and during eclipse lunar cover solar. I just put math in to visual it. What a concidence isnt? 

Its like Carl Gustav Jung synchroncity or Carl Sagan "everything is perfect" or two levels earth or Einstein: coincidence is when God wants to stay anonym.

What is probability that we evolve just in this geological era when lunar cover sun. Look in sky they are same size.

Although I dont understand why lunar is so big near horizon?

[Waspie_Dwarf 16,349]

2 hours ago, Mello_ said:

And why the Lunar looks bigger near horozont anyway?

It doesn't really. It's a perception thing, an optical illusion if you will.

This myth was debunked by the Sky at Night programme many years ago with a simple experiment.

A group of people on a beach were asked to look at the full moon when it was high above the horizon. They were then asked to pick up a pebble from the beach that, when held at arm's length, appeared the same size as the full moon. These pebbles were collected in a bucket.

The experiment was then repeated a few hours later, when the moon was near the horizon. These pebbles were collected in a second bucket.

Despite people saying that the moon seemed larger to them when near the horizon, the average size of the pebbles in the two buckets was the same.

[Mello_ 180]

Wow. Awesome dude. And whats the secret of the Oz? How come its illusion thing? 

[Waspie_Dwarf 16,349]

2 hours ago, Mello_ said:

What a coincidence that we evolved in geolocical era just when lunar perfectly cover sun during eclipse?

Again, it doesn't

If the moon PERFECTLY covered the sun total solar eclipses would be instantaneous, totality would be over immediately after it started.

In fact a total solar eclipse can last in excess of seven minutes, this is because the disk of the moon appears larger than that of the sun.

At the other extreme there are annular eclipses, where the moon fails to cover the sun totally and "a ring of fire" eclipse occurs. This is because during these eclipses the lunar disk appears smaller than that of the sun.

The earth follows an elliptical path around the sun. The moon follows and elliptical path around the earth. This means that seldom, if ever do the two disks look "perfectly" the same size during an eclipse.

[Waspie_Dwarf 16,349]

5 minutes ago, Mello_ said:

Wow. Awesome dude. And whats the secret of the Oz? How come its illusion thing? 

I don't know enough (well anything at all if I'm honest) about how the human brain perceives things to be able to answer to that.

I do know it's a powerful illusion. Despite knowing it's an illusion I still can't help thinking how big the moon looks when it is near the horizon.

[Mello_ 180]

Ok. Sounds logic about eclipse. Nevertheless Waspie Dwarf- without messurments with my own eyes I see it that way I described. Even with ring of light still looks like they are same size. 

You must say that seems from mynpoint of view as fine tunning. Lets say we are now running trough east Africa near that ridge. We are in prehistory. We dont have science tools. What would you see?

Isnt that coincidence that lunar to our eyes perfectly cover solar? If so, what is probability that our satelite cover our star? 

[Susanc241 1,359]

20 hours ago, Mello_ said:

Wow. Awesome dude. And whats the secret of the Oz? How come its illusion thing? 

My (non expert) understanding of this illusion is because the atmosphere is pretty constant in thickness.  When you look straight up you are looking through X number of feet.  As you look through atmosphere at lower angles you are looking through X+ feet, and looking horizontally at horizon you are looking through X++++ feet.  Something about the extra atmosphere thickness allows the illusion the moon is bigger.

Right, experts, please explain this better than I have - or shoot me down in flames. 

[Mello_ 180]

2 hours ago, Susanc241 said:

My (non expert) understanding of this illusion is because the atmosphere is pretty constant in thickness.  When you look straight up you are looking through X number of feet.  As you look through atmosphere at lower angles you are looking through X+ feet, and looking horizontally at horizon you are looking through X++++ feet.  Something about the extra atmosphere thickness allows the illusion the moon is bigger.

Right, experts, please explain this better than I have - or shoot me down in flames. 

Isnt atmosphere same thickness? Lets say I standing at one point. I look up and see trough x feet. Then I look at horizon and I will again look trough same x although from different angle. Yes I got what you say just as writting this. To add , could it be because its curved? 

Btw also total amateur here. So we will sit together waiting that experts blow up us.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Mello_

[Susanc241 1,359]

Did a bit more research.  Google the Ponzo Illusion.  I learnt something as well!

[L.A.T.1961 1,959]

10 hours ago, Susanc241 said:

My (non expert) understanding of this illusion is because the atmosphere is pretty constant in thickness.  When you look straight up you are looking through X number of feet.  As you look through atmosphere at lower angles you are looking through X+ feet, and looking horizontally at horizon you are looking through X++++ feet.  Something about the extra atmosphere thickness allows the illusion the moon is bigger.

Right, experts, please explain this better than I have - or shoot me down in flames. 

The moon looks bigger, when just above the horizon, because it can be easily compared to objects like buildings, tree's hills and mountains which we consider big. It is the brains built in method of assessing scale that creates the perceived difference. The end of a finger held at arms length will cover the moon.

[Mello_ 180]

I still dont get how moon perfectly covers Sun during sun eclipse. crazy crazy coincidence.

[Peter B 3,843]

18 hours ago, Mello_ said:

I still dont get how moon perfectly covers Sun during sun eclipse. crazy crazy coincidence.

As Waspie Dwarf explained, the Moon doesn't perfectly cover the Sun in most eclipses.

The Earth's orbit around the Sun is an ellipse, and the Moon's orbit around the Earth is an ellipse. If an eclipse occurs when the Moon is at perigee (closest approach to Earth) and the Earth is at aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun), then the Moon is noticeably larger than the Sun and the eclipse will last several minutes because that's how long it takes the Sun to pass behind the Moon. By contrast if an eclipse occurs when the Moon is at apogee and the Earth is at perihelion then the Moon is noticeably smaller than the Sun and the eclipse will be an annular (ring-like) one.

Yes, it's a coincidence that this range of eclipses is happening when humans are walking on the Earth. In the distant past the Moon was closer to the Earth and there were no annular eclipses. In the distant future the Moon will be further from the Earth and all eclipses will be annular.

[Emma_Acid 7,057]

On 12/27/2020 at 6:50 PM, Mello_ said:

I still dont get how moon perfectly covers Sun during sun eclipse. crazy crazy coincidence.

What is there to "get" - it's just a coincidence.

[bison 3,028]

The rotational periods of two neighboring planets, and only those two, are very similar. There is no suggestion or reasonable possibility that one has influenced the other in this respect, or than any special power has made both rotate alike. This clearly seems to be a coincidence. The planets  concerned are Earth-- 23.93 hours, Mars  -- 24.6 hours, the latter only 1.02 times that of the former.

Edited January 7 by bison
improved gramar