The full moon climbs over the easte

The full moon climbs over the eastern horizon and hangs like a huge orange globe in the sky. A few hours later, the moon is overhead but seems to have changed. The huge orange globe has become a small silver disk. What has happened? Why has the orange colour disappeared? Why does the moon seem so much smallern and farther away now that it is overhead?
The moon appears orange on the horizon because we view it though the dust of the atmosphere. The overhead moon does not really shrink as it moves away from the horizon. Our eyes inform us that the overhead moon is farther away. But in this position the moon is actually closer to our eyes than when it is near the horizon.
The change in size is a trick our eyes and minds play on us. When the moon is low in the sky, we can compare its size with familiar objects. It is easy to see that the moon is much larger than trees or buildings, for example. When the moon is high in the sky, however, it is hard to compare it with objects on earth. Compared to the vastness of the sky, the moon seems small.
There is another reason why the moon seems to shink. We are used to gazing at objects straight ahead of us. When an object is difficult to see, our eyes have to train to focus on it. When we tilt our heads back to look up, there is a similar strain. Looking at something from an unaccustomed position can fool you into believing an object is completely why the moon seems to shrink as it rises in the sky.