Zero shadow day Hyderabad highlights: City witnesses rare phenomenon

Zero Shadow Day occurs twice a year. The city had experienced the event earlier on May 9. The event takes place in regions near the equator, that is, between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. Zero Shadow Day itself defines its meaning as no object or creature casting a shadow at all when the sun aligns directly above the Earth's equator, ANI reported.

People take to X to post about the rare celestial phenomenon called ‘Zero Shadow Day.’ Take a look at one of the posts.

Zero shadow day is a special celestial event that occurs twice a year at places between +23.5 and -23.5 degrees latitude. During this time, no shadows appear of any object or living being when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. According to the Astronomical Society of India (ASI), the Sun will not cast a shadow on an object - when it is exactly at the zenith position.

"For people living between +23.5 and -23.5 degrees latitude, the Sun's declination will be equal to their latitude twice - once during Uttarayan and once during Dakshinayan. On these two days, the Sun will be exactly overhead at noon and will not cast a shadow of an object on the ground," the ASI wrote on its website.

This phenomenon occurs when the Sun's declination becomes equal to the latitude of the location. While this happens only for a second, its effect can be seen for up to two minutes.

Zero shadow day occurs twice a year and in this phenomenon the sun is positioned directly overhead causing no shadows to be formed on the earth's surface. This means that the sun reaches its highest point in the sky which results in the reduction of the length of the shadow to the extent that it is no longer to be seen.