Bhubaneswar Witness ‘Zero Shadow Day’, Cuttack To Experience On May 22

Zero Shadow Day, a rare celestial event that generally occurs only twice a year, was witnessed by residents in Bhubaneswar, on May 21.

There are two Zero Shadow Days a year for every point on Earth between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and this phenomenon can be witnessed in different locations on different dates and times.

The phenomenon takes place as the rotation axis of the Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to the axis of revolution around the Sun. When the location of the Sun moves from 23.5° N to 23.5° S of Earth’s equator, all places whose latitude equals the angle between the location of the Sun and the equator will experience Zero Shadow Days. It takes place when the sun is at a 90- degree angle to the Earth’s surface or when the sun is just overhead. This moment makes the person’s or any object’s shadow completely disappear for few minutes.

At any place south of the Tropic of Cancer in India, Zero Shadow Day occurs once during Dakshinayan (June 21-December22, when the Sun’s arc moves southward) and once during Uttarayan (December 22-June 21, Sun’s arc moves northward). The moment arrives when the sun reaches its zenith or the highest point in the arc it describes over Earth.

The places between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn witness zero shadow days on specific days:-

Cuttack – May 21, 11.45 am

Sambalpur – May 28, 11.51 am and July 15, 12 pm

Burla – May 28, 11.52 am, July 15, 12 pm

Rourkela – June 2, 11.48 am, July 10, 11.56 am

Bolangir May 23, 11.54 am, July 20, 12.04 pm

Baripada May 31, 11.41 am, Juy 12, 11.49 am