It may seem like a full moon Wednesday night, but it's actually just a moon illusion.This illusion, called a solstice moon, happens only on the two nights before the beginning of Summer and it makes the moon look much larger and more colorful than usual. The solstice moon is a mind trick that makes it seem like the moon is larger when it's near the horizon. The illusion is more noticeable when there is a full moon.According to NASA, the reason lies in lunar mechanics. When the sun is high, the moon is low. This week's high solstice sun makes for a low, horizon-hugging moon and therefore a stronger, longer-lasting moon illusion.Here's how it works: the human mind believes that things on the horizon are farther away than things overhead. So, if we think the moon is farther away than it actually is, it appears larger than it should. It's a matter of how we usually see the moon in relation to the foreground, NASA said.
The solstice moon is expected to rise over the Tri-State at 9:35 p.m.
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