April 24 marks a very important and rather amusing astronomical phenomenon of Zero Shadow Day 2019. This phenomenon occurs in India twice a year. On this day, the sun is exactly at the top, thus no shadow is cast on the ground. The Sun crossed the local meridian connecting from the north to the south. The sun will exactly reach its zenith at 12.18pm. At this point, the person's shadow is exactly under the person so one cannot see it. Special programmes are arranged in planetarium and observatories to learn more about the phenomenon. Pink Moon 2019: Gorgeous Full Moon Graces Skies Across the World on Good Friday, Check Pics And Videos.

What is Zero Shadow Day?

A Zero shadow day is when the sun is directly overhead on a specific latitude. It is said to be at the highest point in the sky and the sun rays thus hit the earth surface but at an exactly perpendicular angle to the surface. So you cannot observe the shadow of anything, around you at that specific point. But if you still want to see the shadow, you will have to jump and see it. The amusing phenomenon occurs twice a year. And every location on the planet that is between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn will witness a Zero Shadow Day twice a year. In India, this happens between April and September. On this specific day, a vertical pole will cast almost no shadow and will cast a longer and longer shadow as we move away from this day.

Zero Shadow Day 2019

Zero Shadow day 2019 will be on April 24 at 12.18 pm. So if you want to see or rather not see the shadow, then you should go out and stand in the sun from the exact afternoon, say 12 pm. The time will differ for people located at different longitudes. This Zero Shadow Day will be different for different places (different latitudes). When is Summer Solstice 2018? What is It? Why is it the Longest Day & Is It the Hottest Day of the Year?

Students at Bengaluru and Chennai will be learning more about this phenomenon in a different set of programmes held in the city. At Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre (TNSTC), a group of 60 students will learn to measure the longest and shortest shadow time. Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru will have a one-day workshop for students above the 8th grade. Other concepts related to the Zero shadow day will also be covered in this day-long workshop.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2019 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).