Malaysians Will Be Able To Experience 'Zero Shadow Day' This Week
With no shadows, everything looks like a bad CGI game. So trippy.
By May Vin Ang — 29 Mar 2022, 02:41 PM
Local media has been reporting that different parts of Malaysia will experience a 'zero shadow day' during this week
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation released a statement encouraging the public in Klang Valley to take a look at their surroundings at noon on Monday, 28 March.
As we know, shadows on every other day already appear the shortest at noon.
However, Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said people will be able to see that some objects will cast completely no shadows at noon this week due to a natural phenomenon.
The ministry said southern states first observed it as early as 23 March, while northern states will be able to see the occurrence later by 7 April.
The girls' shadows are falling directly beneath them, but the bottle is not casting any shadow at all.
Image via DetikIt's pretty special, but don't worry if you missed it, as it's a natural phenomenon that occurs twice every year
The 'no shadow' phenomenon occurs during the spring and fall equinoxes in March and September every year, but only in countries close to the equator.
During an equinox, the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun.
With the Earth tilted as so, the sun is positioned directly above the equator, giving countries on 0° latitude the experience of 'zero shadow day', as shadows will fall directly under an object or a person's feet.
It is best observed when looking at objects that stand up straight such as flagpoles, bollards, and telephone poles
In Hawaii, this phenomenon is also well known as 'Lāhainā Noon', with Lāhainā meaning "cruel sun" in the Hawaiian language (probably also describing how hot it is on these days).
Netizens have commented that objects often look "oddly airbrushed" during the phenomenon.
Meanwhile, others have said that things in real life end up looking just like "bad CGI" such as in old video games.
If you missed it this time, you can catch the phenomenon the next time it happens on 14 September.
