Zero Shadow Day happens twice in places between +23.5 and -23.5 degrees latitude. These are the days when the sun rises at true and set at true west. It happens twice a day at a particular place and it usually happened at places between tropic of cancer and tropic of Capricorn.
If a person takes a candle in the dark room, and use it to create a shadow of one’s palm on the wall, the hands will cast shadow on the walls as one moves the hand. But, when one places the palm on the wall there will be no shadow.
Zero Shadow Day Date and Timings
In India, this year it will occur in Mangaluru on April 24 and in Udupi on April 25 according to a press release from Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers’ Club. Both the days people will see their shadows vanish for a few moments at 12:28 pm. The Sun will be never exactly overhead at noon, but will transit a bit lower in altitude, a bit to the north or a bit to the south.
What is Zero Shadow Day?
Zero Shadow Day is concerned with astronomy. The earth spins around on its own axis and causes days and nights. It also revolves around the sun causing a year. But the seasons are caused because the axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. Due to this tilt, sun rises every day in the east gradually moving towards the north till June 21st and slowly proceeding towards the south till December 21st every year.
For all the people between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, the Sun at noon moved father and closer to the zenith passing through zenith twice and causing two Zero Shadow Days per year.
This year places with same latitudes will observe the same days of Zero Shadow Day but the time will vary with longitude. For example, people of Bengaluru as they share the latitude with Magaluru will also observe it on April 24. While the people of Magaluru will observe their shadows disappear at 12:28 pm following the people of Bengaluru at 12:17 pm.
Also the places like Brahmavar, Karkala, Sringeri, Kudermukha, Chikkamagaluru will observe the Zero Shadow Day on the same day as Udupi on April 25.
