Svarnim Puducherry, Sri Aurobindo Society along with VigyanPrasar (Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India), the Deprtment of Science, Technology & Environment, Govt of Puducherry and the Pondicherry Science Forum will be observing the Zero Shadow Day on 21st of August 2021 at the APJ Abdul Kalam Science Centre, Lawspet.
Zero Shadow Day is distinctly different for various places on earth and occurs only twice in a year for a given location as opposed to the common belief that the sun is directly above us at mid-noon every day.
Only on a day when the latitude of a place equals the declination of the sun, the sun’s rays are perpendicular on the latitude. Thus only on two days in a year (in April and August), exactly at noon, the sun is right overhead, and the shadow of a vertical object falls right below. For Puducherry, the latitude is about 11.9 degree.
On August 21st, 2021, the sun’s declination (the angle of the sun’s rays falling on the equator) would be 11.9 degree, and since the region is inclined at the same angle with respect to the equator, the sun’s rays fell perpendicular at noon, in Puducherry, around 12.16 p.m. (since the region is about 4 degrees to the west of the IST referral point)
The event would be attended by Dr TV Venkateswaran, Scientist F & Head, Audio Visual Division of VigyanPrasar (DST, Govt. of India), and officials from Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Govt. of Puducherry and representatives from Svarnim Puducherry (SAS) and Pondicherry Science Forum where the media/press would be invited to cover the programme live.
