During the year there are a couple of days when the shadow stops accompanying people. For a minute the shadow of the sun It disappears almost for a minute and it is important to be attentive to this phenomenon that was even famous among the Maya.
They are currently known as “days without shade”, and are presented in southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as in South America countries.
Edgar Castro, director of the Diploma career in Basic Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Galileo University, explains that This phenomenon is known as the zenith of the sun, which occurs when the sun is located in a totally vertical position, at the top of the sky. Because of this, when the phenomenon occurs, no shadow is projected at noon.
This happens, usually, twice a year. In Guatemala City It will be next Wednesday, April 30, at 12 noon. It is an exact minute in which the shadow stops projecting.
In cities like Petén, This phenomenon will occur a few days later. Being further north, the phenomenon will pass there on May 4. August 9 will be the next date for Guatemala.
To observe it, it is important to go outside and pay attention to the shadows.
Maya Tecum’s page explains that the Maya explained the zenith as the moment when the sun is above our heads, illuminating everything around us and making every shadow disappear.
How to observe the day without shade?
The phenomenon known as Kaj tz’uqu q’ij (Sun’s passage through the zenith) has been described thanks to the practice of astronomical observation. During this moment, a person can be placed under the sun and not project shadow, or project a minimum shadow compared to that of other days at the same time.
The Guatemalan Association of Astronomy has proposed in previous years an exercise that can be done from anywhere to document this day.
Prepare a pencil, paper, clock, camera and a cylindrical object, such as a glass, plastic container or glass bottle with a circular background. Start a few minutes before to register how the shadow progresses and how it disappears.