India: Bengaluru to mark 'Zero Shadow Day'. Know what it means

Indian city of Bengaluru is set to see a rare celestial phenomenon on Tuesday (April 25) when no shadow will be created by the sunlight at a particular time. The phenomenon, known as Zero Shadow Day, will take place at 12:17 pm.

Events will be organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) at its campus in Koramangala, Bengaluru to mark the occasion. Meanwhile, the netizens are also excited to see the rare event and share its pictures and videos on the social media platform.

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The scientists working at IIA will collaborate with a school to measure the earth's diameter on Tuesday, said the officials.

What will exactly happen on Zero Shadow Day?

Zero Shadow Day is a celestial phenomenon that takes place twice a year, where the position of the sun is directly overhead because of which no shadow gets cast on the surface of the Earth. So, at 12:17 pm, no shadow will be cast by any vertical object in Bengaluru.

On Zero Shadow Day, the sun moves to its highest point in the sky which results in the reduction of the shadow's length. When a person stands on this shadow, their own shadow becomes invisible, hence it's called "Zero Shadow".

''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,'' noted the Astronomical Society of India.

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“This happens for places between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn and is on April 25 and 18 August for Bengaluru,” stated the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

Describing the phenomenon, astrophysicist Debiprosad Duari said, “People and any object, all around the world, staying between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn lose their shadows, though momentarily, twice a year. These two moments are called zero shadow moments. "

During the zero shadow days every year, students as well as astrophiles who are present between the two Tropics erect vertical objects and poles, and sometimes even stand outside to witness the cosmic phenomena with their own eyes. No special instruments or equipment is needed to witness the no-shadow moment.

Bengaluru will observe the next Shadow Day on August 18. The dates when Zero Shadow Day will occur keep changing on the basis of the location and time zone.

(With inputs from agencies)

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