It was not until 1857 that G. Schweitzer showed that it was a subjective phenomenon: several observers all simultaneously viewing the same star reported different directions of the movement.
It seemed such a little thing, so bright and small and still, faintly marked with transverse stripes, and slightly flattened from the perfect round.
As I watched, the planet seemed to grow larger and smaller and to advance and recede, but that was simply that my eye was tired.
Few people realise the immensity of vacancy in which the dust of the material universe swims.The effect is well known as an illusion affecting pilots who fly at night.
Steps that can be taken to prevent or overcome the phenomenon include: In his book documenting the opening stages of the second Gulf War from his position embedded with the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, Evan Wright documents an incident during which, at night in the Iraqi desert, the Marines observed the lights of a town approximately 40 kilometers away.
In the HBO mini-series based on the book, this information was imparted to the viewer by the character of Sergeant Brad Colbert, who had correctly deduced that it was a town in both versions.