HYDERABAD: Hyderabadis turned up at the B.M. Birla Planetarium on Thursday, eager to witness the ‘zero shadow’ phenomenon. Though the clouds initially played spoilsport, covering the sun at 12.23 pm, enthusiastic observers were delighted to catch a final glimpse of the event at 12.27 pm.
The phenomenon occurs when the sun is directly overhead in relation to a particular spot on Earth. During this moment, the shadow of an object will fall within its base, giving the illusion of zero shadow.
"We were hoping it wouldn't be cloudy early in the morning and had arrived at the location at noon. Just when we were about to give up, the skies cleared up and we rushed to check our shadows. They were almost non-existent, and the next minute, they started growing," said Anuja Prapti, a Class 7 student.
The visitors came prepared with cameras, shades, and hats, all set to experience the phenomenon that occurs only twice a year.
"We were also given an explanation about the phenomenon, how the shadow does not disappear but is located right under the object, and in our case, under our feet. We also learned that by comparing the shadow length at a distant city situated in the same longitude at the same time as ZSD in our city, the circumference of the earth can be calculated," said Basheer MD, another student.
