Planes often appear to be moving slower than they actually are during landing due to a combination of perceptual factors related to distance, visual context, and relative motion.
Here's a breakdown of the reasons:
- Distance: As the reference text states, because the plane is far away, it takes longer for it to move across your field of vision compared to an object that is close to you.
- Lack of Visual References:
- Uniform Blue Sky: According to the reference, "If there are no contrails or clouds surrounding it, the plane is moving against a completely uniform blue sky." This makes it "very hard to perceive just how fast a plane is moving." A uniform background lacks visual cues that our brains use to judge speed. We usually judge speed based on how quickly objects pass in our field of vision.
- Expectation Bias: We often expect large objects to move slower than smaller ones. Since airplanes are massive, our brains might subconsciously expect them to move at a reduced speed.
In summary, it is the absence of common objects, or contrails, for comparison in the sky combined with a uniform background, that tricks our brains into interpreting the plane's speed as slower than it is.
