Hyderabad to experience Zero Shadow Day on Friday at 12.12 pm

As the Sun positions itself directly overhead, its rays fall vertically, causing shadows from upright objects to vanish momentarily. This phenomenon, known as Zero Shadow Day, happens due to the Earth's axial tilt and the Sun’s apparent motion across the sky.

Hyderabad: People in Hyderabad have an opportunity to witness a fascinating celestial event taking place in real-time, and that too in broad day light. At around 12.12 pm today, Friday, people can experience a Zero Shadow Day, during which vertical objects will not cast a shadow.

Since the Sun is exactly overhead, its rays come straight down and there are no shadows cast from vertical objects for a brief moment. Zero Shadow Day occurs because of Earth’s tilt and the Sun’s movement in the sky. The Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees, causing the Sun to follow different paths across the sky throughout the year, explains founder secretary, Planetary Society of India (PSI), N Sri Raghunandan Kumar.

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The No Shadow Day usually happens in locations between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. These regions are unique because the Sun’s apparent path in the sky takes it directly overhead twice a year.

What to do to observe No Shadow Day?

If the sky is clear and the Sun is not obstructed by clouds, one can place a vertical object on a level ground from 11.45 am onwards. They can observe the shadow of the object every 5 minutes until 12.45 pm and note how the shadow behaves and specifically observe what happens to the shadow at exactly 12.12 pm. At that moment, you’ll see the shadow disappear completely as the Sun reaches exactly overhead,” N Sri Raghunandan described.

In case, people miss the natural phenomenon on Friday, they can also witness it on Saturday, although they may not see the shadow of the vertical object completely vanish under or near the vertical object.

The Founder of Planetary Society of India pointed out that a second Zero Shadow Day of the year will occur in August, 2025 across various locations in Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh.