'Zero shadow' to hit Bengaluru on April 24

Bengaluru: At exactly 12.17 PM on April 24, when the sun is directly overhead, Bengaluru will experience the ‘zero shadow’ phenomenon, according to scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).

Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, Head of IIA’s Science Communication, Public Outreach, and Education (SCOPE) section, said that during this event, the sun reaches its zenith, causing vertical objects to cast no visible shadows as they fall directly beneath them.

All locations in India situated below the Tropic of Cancer—including Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mangaluru—experience Zero Shadow Day, Ramanujam told PTI.

In Bengaluru, this occurs typically around April 24–25 and again on August 18, he added.

Zero Shadow Day will reach the Tropic of Cancer on June 21, the summer solstice and the end of Uttarayana—the sun’s northward journey in the Hindu calendar, Ramanujam further said.