Mumbaikars Witness Zero Shadow Day In The City, Rare Celestial Event Stuns Locals
Mumbai locals witnessed a rare celestial event on May 15th. The city observed zero shadow day, as locals recorded images and clips of objects casting no shadows even while kept in broad daylight.
The locals of Mumbai were surprised to see that the sun had lost its power to cast shadows on Monday as the city witnessed the rare celestial phenomenon of Zero Shadow Day. For those unfamiliar with the rare event, it is a day when the sun casts no shadows and objects under direct sunlight look like they are part of a poorly-made video game.
Mumbai Locals Witness Zero Shadow Day
Twitter
Locals jumped on the chance to capture bizarre images and clips on May 15th as they witnessed the rare phenomenon. Mumbaikars filled social media platforms with videos and images of objects casting zero shadows even as they stood under stark sunlight.
This phenomenon occurs twice a year as the sun¡¯s position is exactly overhead, standing at a 90-degree angle to the earth, which results in zero shadows forming on the surface of the earth. During such a day, the sun reaches its highest point, which leads to a reduction in the length of the shadow. Hence, it gives the appearance that there has been no shadow formed on the Earth¡¯s surface.
Zero Shadow Day #ZSD in Mumbai. It¡¯s a phenomenon which occurs only twice a year. For Mumbai, the days are 15th May and 28th July. July is normally rainy hence 15th May is best for observation. pic.twitter.com/8rl20mC8vb
¡ª ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? (@MaheshGNaik) May 15, 2023
According to the Astronomical Society of India, "For people living between +23.5 and -23.5 degrees latitude, the sun's declination will be equal to their latitude twice¡ªonce during Uttarayan and once during Dakshinayan. On these two days, the sun will be exactly overhead at noon and will not cast a shadow on an object on the ground. This Zero Shadow Day will clearly be different for different places on Earth."
Locals Find It Fascinating As The City Witnesses Zero Shadow Day
The people of Mumbai were excited to witness the phenomenon, as many took to the streets to experiment in the sun. IAS Jitin on Twitter shared images of children playing cricket under the blinding sun, as no shadows were cast below their feet even as they played under sunlight.
Yesterday, #Mumbai observed a ZERO SHADOW DAY
¡ª Jitin Yadav (@Jitin_IAS) May 16, 2019
- when Sun is at 90¡ã angle to the Earth's surface
- shadow completely disappears for few minutes
- occurs twice in a year for places between +23.5¡ã & -23.5¡ã latitude
- Pic - a group playing cricket at Shivaji Park having no shadows. pic.twitter.com/vBxp8QNCuI
Another Twitter account shared images of objects not casting any shadows and wrote, ¡°Today ARC Educators team have celebrated #zero_shadow_day at #Mumbai. A zero shadow day is a day on which the #Sun does not cast a shadow of an object at noon, when the sun will be exactly at the zenith position.¡±
Today ARC Educators team have celebrated #zero_shadow_day at #Mumbai. A zero shadow day is a day on which the #Sun does not cast a shadow of an object at noon, when the sun will be exactly at the zenith position. pic.twitter.com/jEHXwFdTWj
¡ª ARC EDUCATORS (@ArcEducators) May 16, 2022
Astrophysicist Debiprosad Duari explained the phenomenon and told PTI, "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.¡±
To catch the phenomenon a second time, Mumbai locals can be on the lookout for zero shadows on July 27 and 28. While the actual phenomenon only lasts a fraction of a second, its aftereffects can be seen for up to a minute and a half.
Tell us what you think about this rare celestial phenomenon in the comments below.
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