Bhubaneswar to witness zero shadow day today; celestial phenomenon in Cuttack tomorrow

The capital city of Bhubaneswar is all set to witness a Zero Shadow Day (ZSD), an interesting celestial phenomenon, on Sunday. Elaborate arrangements have been made at the Pathani Samanta Planetarium to witness the event which will happen at 11:43 am today.

What Is Zero Shadow Day

The Zero Shadow Day phenomenon occurs twice a year when the sun's position is exactly overhead. Standing at a 90-degree angle to the earth 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, said Subendu Pattnaik, deputy director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium.

According to Pattnaik, the Zero Shadow Day (ZSD) is an interesting celestial phenomenon, that occurs twice in a year for locations between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

The phenomenon will be observed for 2 to 3 minutes in Bhubaneswar today. The Zero Shadow Day (ZSD) will be observed in Cuttack tomorrow, he said. ZSD occurs when the sun’s declination (earth’s axis results in a daily variation of the angle between the Earth–Sunline and the Earth’s equatorial plane) becomes equal.