Bengaluru to witness Zero Shadow Day today: What is this rare celestial phenomenon? Know all details

Zero Shadow Day in Bengaluru: Bengaluru is gearing up to witness a very unique celestial astronomical phenomenon known as 'Zero Shadow Day' for the second time in 2023, which is scheduled for today (August 18). 

At around 12:24 pm, Bengaluru city will experience a celestial fleeting moment when the Sun will be positioned directly overhead and no shadow will be visible. During this time, vertical objects such as poles, sticks, and even people will not cast any shadow on the ground. 

This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that the shadow of any vertical body is present below it and not visible on a Zero Shadow day. Earlier in 2023, Bengaluru encountered Zero Shadow Day on April 18, with the notable moment occurring at around 12.17 pm when vertical objects momentarily lacked their shadows. 

Know more about Zero Shadow Day:

When the sun reaches the zenith, people won't be able to see your shadow unless they jump. Scientifically, Zero Shadow Day happens twice a year at places which fall between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, encompassing latitudes of 23.5 and -23.5 degrees.

It is a celestial phenomenon which happens because of the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis. The Earth goes around the sun and it also rotates on its own axis. The axis of spin is not straight. It is tilted by 23.5 degrees. The 23.5 degrees makes the sun moment also apparently to move from South to North and North to South.

As the Sun moves from South to North, every day it does not rise exactly from the East. It will rise a little towards the eastern side or the northern side or the southern side. Only on one particular day, that is today it exactly rises from the East and that is why at approximately 12:00 pm, the sun is right on the top of our head.

The sun is at the zenith and when it happens, any vertical body which is under the sun it's shadow disappears. But the shadow has not exactly disappeared, it is below us. So if you are standing on a transparent glass floor with the sun on your top, you will still find your shadow down. For that purpose, we have a zero shadow day experiment where you see that when the moment the sun comes on the top of the plate, the complete alphabets are visible and then as the sun moves the alphabet slowly fades away. 

It is only visible on two days in a year. In the case of Hyderabad, two such events were witnessed this year. 

What time Zero Shadow Day usually occurs?

The occurrence of the Zero Shadow Day phenomenon is dependent upon the precise timing of solar noon at a specific location. The date and timing of this phenomenon varies for each location. While solar noon has traditionally been set at 12:00 pm, the precise time of solar noon fluctuates according to the location and the specific period of the year, as it is influenced by the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun.

Similar observations in India in 2023: 

Hyderabad observed the rare celestial phenomenon on August 3 at around 12:23 pm and previously on May 9, 2023. The Birla Planetarium organised an event to demonstrate this phenomenon, where they placed a plate with alphabets on it, and as the Sun moved away from its zenith, the alphabets began to fade away. 

Bhubaneswar also experienced a 'Zero Shadow Day' on May 21 when vertical objects appear to cast no shadow. This was because the sun was at its zenith, and so the shadow was directly under the object. The Sun reached exactly overhead at 11:43 am in Bhubaneswar and the shadow of any vertical object disappeared at that instant. 

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