Sun realigns directly with Kaaba in rare phenomenon

MAKKAH: The holy city of Makkah on Tuesday witnessed a precise astronomical phenomenon on Tuesday as the sun passed directly overhead the Holy Kaaba.

According to the Noor Astronomy Association in the Qassim Region, this perpendicular solar event will took place during the noon call to prayer in Makkah at 12:18 p.m local time and 2:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST), resulting in the complete disappearance of the Kaaba’s shadow.

President of Noor Astronomy Issa Al-Ghafili explained that this event occurs as the sun traverses between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

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The alignment allows the determination of the Qibla direction from any location worldwide without the need for additional tools.

During this moment of perpendicularity, the Qibla’s direction is exactly opposite to the shadows cast by mosque minarets, lampposts, and tall towers, he added.

The celestial phenomenon the sun over Kaaba called “zero shadow” occurs twice every year at the Grand Mosque in May and July because of its location between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. The holy structure loses its shadow for some time during this phenomenon.

Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the sun travels at 23.5 degrees north and south of the celestial equator. The sun falls directly overhead on places lying over the equator during the equinox.