Why do we feel like the moon is following us?

Long Distance Illusion

In fact, the moon is on average about 384,400 km away from us, an incredibly large distance compared to what we see every day. Because it is so far away, the view from different locations on Earth hardly changes at all. Whether you are walking, riding a motorbike or driving a car, the moon's relative position in the sky seems to stay the same.

Meanwhile, nearby objects – like trees, poles, or buildings – move back and forth very quickly in your field of view as you move. This creates the illusion that nearby objects are moving, while the moon “follows” them.

Illustration photo.

Parallax and viewing angle

This is an example of parallax – the change in perspective as you move. For nearby objects, parallax is noticeable because the change in perspective is large. But for a distant object like the moon, the perspective barely changes, so your brain mistakenly thinks it is moving with you.

The brain is being fooled

Our brains tend to compare the movement of one object to other objects in the scene. When everything around you is changing position, but the moon is “fixed,” your brain thinks it is moving with you. In fact, it is an illusion of motion due to perspective and the way your brain processes images.

A phenomenon both magical and scientific

The sensation of the “moon following me” is not only a delightful childhood experience, but also a wonderful demonstration of how the eyes and brain work together to understand the world. It shows that what we see is not always real – sometimes it is just an imagination created by the brain from visual signals.

Thanh Lam (t/h)

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/tai-sao-chung-ta-lai-cam-thay-mat-trang-di-theo-minh/20250417115626895