Save The Date: Bengaluru Set For Zero Shadow Day On August 18

Bengaluru is getting ready for a special celestial event known as ' Zero Shadow Day ,' scheduled for August 18. During this extraordinary happening, there will be a brief period around solar noon when objects on the ground will cast no shadows. This creates a captivating visual display due to the sunlight being directly overhead, resulting in minimal shadow formation. As residents of Bengaluru gear up to observe this truly unique occurrence, here is a comprehensive guide to ensure you're well informed about the event.

This occurrence takes place within the areas located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. During this event, objects of considerable height, such as buildings, trees, and poles, might not project shadows on the ground, even in the presence of bright sunlight. This phenomenon arises due to the sun being positioned directly overhead, leading to the disappearance of shadows.

Zero Shadow Day, What's That?
Zero Shadow Day is a fascinating event during which objects on the Earth's surface temporarily have no visible shadows around midday. This phenomenon happens when the sun is positioned directly overhead or very nearly so, causing objects to be illuminated almost vertically from above.

Consequently, the sun's beams are aimed vertically downward, creating an angle close to 90 degrees among the sun, the object, and the observer. This configuration leads to the lack of shadows or their extremely minimal presence.

Zero Shadow Day is closely connected to the Earth's axial tilt and its orbit around the sun. Due to these factors, the angle at which the sun's rays hit various parts of the Earth's surface changes over the course of the year.

Zero Shadow Day is typically observed near the equator or in regions with a shallow solar angle during the period when the sun is directly above.

Why Does This Happen?
As per the Astronomical Society of India (ASI), a celestial event is set to occur near the equator, positioned between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. On August 18th, the city of Bengaluru will experience the Sun being directly overhead. This occurrence marks the second instance of this celestial phenomenon in the current year.

Earlier, the ASI had predicted that this event would take place twice this year for people living between the latitudes of +23.5 and -23.5 degrees. The Sun's declination will match their latitude on two occasions: once during Uttarayan and once again during Dakshinayan.

As per astronomical calculations, during the periods of Uttarayan and Dakshinayan, there are two specific days when the Sun aligns directly overhead at noon, causing objects on the ground to have no shadows. This unique phenomenon is known as Zero Shadow Day, where the Sun's declination matches the latitude of the observer.

Declination refers to the angle created by the intersection of the Earth's equator plane with the Sun's rays. On the other hand, Latitude is the angular measurement that indicates the distance between two points to the south and north of the Earth's equator.

On August 4th, Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Telangana, also witnessed a Zero Shadow Day phenomenon. Numerous residents of the city took to social media to share videos and photos capturing the unusual occurrence of no shadows being cast by the Sun. This striking event occurred briefly around 12:23 p.m.

The most recent occurrence of Zero Shadow Day was observed on April 25th in Bengaluru. On this day, individuals seized the opportunity to capture numerous photographs without any shadows. The online realm was inundated with images showcasing objects casting no shadows on the ground during that period.

On May 15th, the residents of Mumbai were taken by surprise when they realized that the sun had temporarily lost its capacity to cast shadows. This unusual occurrence, known as Zero Shadow Day, captivated the city as people enthusiastically captured the moment in unique photographs and videos. The phenomenon led to a flood of posts on social media, with Mumbai locals sharing images and videos of objects basking in sunlight without casting any shadows.