{"id":5028,"date":"2026-08-30T11:38:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceylondailynews.lk\/home\/?p=5028"},"modified":"2026-08-30T11:38:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:08:04","slug":"sun-directly-over-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceylondailynews.lk\/home\/2026\/08\/30\/sun-directly-over-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero Shadow Day 2026: The Sun Stands Directly Over Sri Lanka Until September 7"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Sun is going directly overhead in Sri Lanka right now \u2014 see which towns lose their shadows next before September 7.<\/h2>\n
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Sri Lankans across the island are watching their shadows vanish at noon this week. The Sun is passing directly overhead at different locations across the country between August 28 and September 7, the Department of Meteorology<\/a> confirms. This rare positioning, known as a zenith sun or “zero shadow” moment, briefly erases shadows and turns ordinary midday into a small astronomical event.<\/p>\n

On August 30, the Sun reached its overhead position above Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya, and Pulmoddai at around 12:11 p.m. Anyone standing outside at that exact minute saw their shadow shrink to almost nothing before it stretched back out again seconds later.<\/p>\n

This is not a Colombo-only story. The phenomenon rolls across the island like a slow-moving wave, touching different towns on different days as the Sun’s position shifts southward through Sri Lanka’s latitudes. Here’s everything you need to know about why it happens, where it’s happening next, and how you can watch it for yourself.<\/p>\n

What Does “Sun Directly Overhead” Actually Mean?<\/h2>\n

Most people assume the Sun sits directly above their heads every day at noon. It doesn’t. The Sun only reaches a true 90-degree position overhead at specific latitudes on specific dates each year.<\/p>\n

This overhead position is called the subsolar point. It marks the exact spot on Earth’s surface where sunlight strikes at a perfect right angle. Everywhere else, sunlight arrives at a slight angle, which is why objects always cast at least a small shadow.<\/p>\n

When the subsolar point crosses directly over a location, something unusual happens: vertical objects stop casting shadows for a brief moment. A pole, a person, or a flagpole appears to have no shadow at all, because the light source sits precisely above it rather than to one side.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka sits close to the equator, roughly between 6 and 10 degrees north latitude. This position means the subsolar point crosses the island twice every year \u2014 once as the Sun moves south toward the equator, and again several months later as it moves back north. The current event is the southward pass.<\/p>\n

Where and When It’s Happening<\/h2>\n

The Meteorology Department<\/a> has tracked the zenith Sun’s path across Sri Lanka day by day. The overhead moment began on August 28 and continues through September 7, sweeping gradually from the island’s northern areas toward locations further south as each day passes.<\/p>\n

On August 30 specifically, five locations experienced the phenomenon almost simultaneously:<\/p>\n