‘Zero Shadow Day’ In Bhubaneswar Today, Timing & Reason; Cuttack’s Turn Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha capital will witness ‘Zero Shadow’, a rare celestial phenomenon during which no shadow of an object or a being is observed, on Sunday.

Elaborate arrangements have been made at the Pathani Samanta Planetarium for the event at 11:43 am and it will continue for a brief period of about three minutes.

This phenomenon occurs twice a year when the sun is at its highest point in the sky at all the regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This leads to the Sun rays falling perpendicular to the Earth’s surface. With sun exactly overhead, no being or object cast a shadow, resulting in Zero Shadow Day.

According to Subhendu Patnaik, Deputy Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Bhubaneswar, the event takes place when the rotation axis of the Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to the axis of revolution around the sun.

Cuttack will experience the celestial event on Monday.