How do constellations increase in size?

I'm currently on the eastern seaboard of the US, and not too long ago noticed the Orion constellation. He was much larger than usual. My question is: how is that possible? What causes constellations to increase in size?



Thanks.How do constellations increase in size?This is an interesting perception that is caused by the way our eyes have evolved. The most common occurrence is that people see the Moon close to the horizon and see that it appears much larger than it does when it is higher in the sky. I suspect that the same holds true for constellations that are low - near the horizon.



Our visual system is geared to see things on a horizontal plane with the proper depth perception. It is called the Ponzo Illusion, and it is manifested by the perception that objects near the the horizon are more distant than objects directly below or above us. That is how we evolved, and that is how our eyes see things. If you ask people to point to an area in the sky that is 45 degrees above the horizon, 90% of them will point to a location much lower than 45 degrees. Here is a weird experiment that really works: the next time you see something - like the Moon or Orion that looks over sized, turn your back to it, bend over, and look at it again between your legs. It will look normal again. Of course, you may get arrested or something, but it really does work. It's how we see things.How do constellations increase in size?
Constellations does not increase by size, although Orion is pretty big.



It's likely that you see it close to the horizon, so you began comparing the constellation with the trees/building around, making it look bigger than usual. It's similar to the moon illusion, it looks bigger when it is closer to the horizon.



During the winter months, zodiacal constellation tend to look bigger than usual because they rise and set close to the horizon, so that the viewer compare the constellation with the objects close to the horizon.How do constellations increase in size?It's an optical illusion. Measure distances between stars using your hand on your outstretched arm (pinky to thumb from Rigel to Betelgeuse, for example), and you will find that they do not change in angular size. Look up "moon illusion" for more explanations of illusions of size in the sky. Also, you may notice in a small planetarium that the constellations look very small because your brain perceives them as close, but use your outstretched hand again, and they should still be the same size as the night sky (from the center of the planetarium).
As several people have correctly said, constellations don't change in size within the lifetime of an individual human. I don't know why someone is marking these answers "thumbs down." The answers comparing this to the Moon illusion are probably correct.How do constellations increase in size?Constellations are constantly moving, but it is so small of movements that our eyes cannot see them. So it was not that.



I assume that it might have been a trick on your brain caused by pollution or heat. I've notice the same thing happen to the moon before.How do constellations increase in size?
stars have motion.



50,000 years ago, the Big Dipper looked very little like a dipper.



but Orion was Orion.



the primary stars in Orion are so very far away that it will probably keep looking the same for eons.
Sun and Moon looks bigger when they are near horizon.It is an optical illusions due to our mind.Same with constellations. Nothing more. Over million years, patterns of constellations may change.How do constellations increase in size?
They don't.