SCIENCE
Life Looks Like A Video Game During Shadowless Lāhainā Noon
A weird solar phenomenon known as Lāhainā Noon causes vertical objects to have no shadows looks like photos taken in Grand Theft Auto.
Lāhainā Noon is a phrase that refers to the solar noon that occurs at Lāhainā, a town located on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii in the United States. It happens when the sun is directly above Earth at a 90-degree angle.
Solar noon is the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, and it occurs around the same time every day.
In Lāhainā, solar noon occurs at about 11:54 a.m. local standard time (LST) during the winter months, and at about 12:54 p.m. LST during the summer months.
For the most part this typically occurs out over open ocean but there are occasions when the phenomenon travels over land.
This is because the sun appears to move across the sky in an arc throughout the year, and its highest point in the sky occurs at a slightly different time each day as a result.
As you can see in these amazing pictures taken during Lāhainā Noon, it looks like someone just took a picture in a video game. Since there are no shadows, it’s hard to get a sense of depth or perspective.
This strange yet amazing Lāhainā Noon phenomenon isn’t limited to the islands of Hawaii.
Only the tropics experience it, thus those at zero degrees latitude will experience it twice a year.
In some locations, the sun never rises directly above because they are too distant from the equator.
Singapore, Nicaragua, and certain regions of the Philippines also get to enjoy their own equivalent of Lāhainā Noon.
Because of the tilt of the Earth, the sun’s beams can only be perpendicular as far north as the Tropic of Cancer and as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn. This is because of the angle at which the Earth tilts.
Because of this, shadows will vanish only in tropical locations such as Darwin, Townsville, and Hawaii.
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