New Delhi:

The people of Bengaluru are going to get a divine gift. They will witness a rare phenomenon called ‘zero shadow day’ on Wednesday. The event will occur between 12:17 pm and 12:23 pm when the Sun will be at its zenith, causing all shadows to disappear. Apart from Bengaluru, people can also witness this phenomenon in places like Kanyakumari, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Join us on April 24th to celebrate #zeroshadowday#ZSD for places #Bengaluru latitude

Measure shadow length and check out our great demo! We will work with Bhopal and Chennai to calculate the Earth’s diameter and rotation speed!@asipoec@CosmosMysuru@doot_iia@IndiaDSTpic.twitter.com/99u9oD3Hy0

– IIAstrophysics (@IIABengaluru) 22 April 2024

What is zero shadow day?

Zero shadow day occurs when the Sun is directly overhead, resulting in no shadows cast by objects at noon. This phenomenon typically occurs in areas located near the equator, where the sun’s angle is almost perpendicular to the Earth’s surface. As a result, no shadows of objects are visible.

As the Earth revolves around the Sun, its position in the sky changes, reaching its zenith at different latitudes during different times of the year. This creates the seasons and causes the Sun to move from 23.5 degrees south of the equator to 23.5 degrees north and back again each year.

Zero shadow day occurs twice a year at locations between +23.5 and -23.5 degrees latitude. Indian Astronomical Society,

Zero Shadow Day in Bengaluru

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru will host events on the occasion of Zero Shadow Day on April 24 at its Koramangala campus. They welcome the public to join the activities, which run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants can observe and measure the changing shadow lengths of objects and gain insight into the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun.

Zero Shadow Day in other cities

Kanyakumari: 10 April and 01 September (local noon: 12:21, 12:22)

Bengaluru: April 24 and August 18 (local noon: 12:17, 12:25)

Hyderabad: 09 May and 05 August (local noon: 12:12, 12:19)

Mumbai: May 15 and June 27 (local noon: 12:34, 12:45)

Bhopal: June 13 and June 28 (local noon: 12:20, 12:23)