Many children have stared out of a car window at night to see the moon gleaming up above. Some have also noticed that the moon seems to stay in the same place, even if the car is driving forward. Trees, cars, buildings and all the other objects pass by in the blink of an eye, but not the moon. It seems as if the moon just follows the moving car.
This is an optical illusion. The moon isn’t actually following anyone. It’s simply too far away for people to judge any change in distance as a car moves. With smaller objects that are much closer to the car’s position, the angle from which we view them changes rapidly as they are approached and passed. However, the distance between people on Earth and the moon is so vast in comparison that the shift in the angle and distance is basically imperceptible.
Another factor that makes the moon appear to stay in place is that there are usually no objects of comparable size visible in the sky. The moon usually occupies a large portion of the sky all by itself. Without a good frame of reference, it’s very difficult for the human eye to make accurate judgments about size and distance.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock 照片：Shutterstock提供
Another optical illusion involving the moon occurs when it is closer to the horizon. You may have noticed that the moon always looks bigger around dusk or dawn. When the moon is near the horizon, our brain can compare it to buildings or mountains. At these times, it seems much larger than when it is floating high above us in the sky. The truth is that the moon never changes its size.
很多小朋友都曾在夜晚時凝視著車窗外，看著月亮高掛天上微微發亮。有些人也注意到即使車子正在往前行進，月亮卻似乎一直待在同一處。樹木、車子、建築和其他所有物體在轉瞬間呼嘯而過，但月亮卻沒有。月亮看起來就好像是在跟著行駛中的車子。
這是一種視錯覺。月亮其實沒有跟著任何人。它只是太遙遠了，所以人們在車子移動時，無法判斷任何距離上的改變。至於更靠近車子位置的較小物體，在我們靠近、經過它們時，我們看它們的角度會迅速改變。然而相比之下，地球上的人類和月亮的距離是那麼地廣大，所以角度和距離的改變基本上無法察覺。
月亮看起來一直在原地還有另一個因素，那就是天空中通常沒有肉眼可見、大小可與之相比的物體。月亮本身通常占據了一大部分的天空。沒有一個好的參照標準，人眼很難對於大小和距離做出準確的判斷。
關於月亮的另一個視錯覺在它更靠近地平線時會發生。你可能曾注意到，月亮在接近黃昏或黎明時看起來比較大。當月亮接近地平線時，我們的大腦就能將其與建築物或山脈比較。在這些時段，月亮看起來比它在高空飄動時大很多。事實是，月亮的大小永遠不會改變。
What Did You Learn?
1. What is the reason the moon appears to follow people in a car?
(A) The time.
(B) The angle of vision.
(C) The direction of the car.
(D) The speed at which the car is moving.
2. What can we learn about the moon from the passage?
(A) Its position never actually changes throughout the night.
(B) It blocks everything in the sky when it’s directly overhead.
(C) It cannot be seen with the naked eye when it first appears in the sky.
(D) Its actual size remains the same whether it hangs high or lies near the horizon.
答案：
1. (B) 2. (D)
Word in Use
1. stare vi. 凝視，注視
stare at. . . 凝視……；盯著……看
Pete can often be seen sitting outside the classroom, staring at the sky.
常常有人看到彼特坐在教室外凝視著天空。
2. gleam vi. 發微光
The trapped hikers saw flashlights gleaming in the distance and knew that help was on the way.
那群受困的登山客看到遠處有手電筒發出微光，就知道援助快到了。
3. illusion n. 錯覺，假象
The magician created the illusion that the dove disappeared and amazed the audience.
那名魔術師製造出那隻鴿子不見的假象並驚豔了觀眾。
4. vast a. 廣大的，廣闊的
The Sahara Desert is a vast expanse that stretches for thousands of miles.
撒哈拉沙漠是個綿延數千英里的廣大區域。
5. shift n. 改變，變動
As a major shift was made in the company, dozens of employees were laid off.
因為公司做了一個重大改變，數十名員工因此被裁員。
Practical Phrases
1. in the blink of an eye 瞬間，一眨眼
blink n. 眨眼，一瞬間
A pickpocket stole the woman’s purse in the blink of an eye as he walked by.
一名扒手在經過那名女子時瞬間偷走她的皮包。
2. in comparison 相比之下
compare A to / with B 比較A與B
Most of us didn’t like Jim’s idea because Nancy’s is more practical in comparison.
我們大部分的人都不喜歡吉姆的點子，因為南西的點子相比之下較實際。
The manager always compares us to his previous colleagues and hopes we can work harder.
經理總是拿我們跟他前同事比較，希望我們可以更努力工作。
3. in place 在原地∕固定位置
These nails will keep the wooden plate in place.
這些釘子會讓木板維持在固定位置。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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