Sun to align over Kaaba on Sunday

The sun rises directly over the holy city of Makkah at noon Friday, providing residents and visitors a glimpse of the rare cosmic phenomenon that happens only twice a year. (SPA/File)

• The celestial phenomenon, called “zero shadow,” occurs twice every year at the Grand Mosque
• Countries that fall in latitudes below 23.5 degrees north or south experience this phenomenon twice a year

JEDDAH: The sun will pass directly above the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Sunday at 12:26 p.m. local time, astronomers have said.
The celestial phenomenon, called “zero shadow,” occurs twice every year at the Grand Mosque because of its location between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer.
This event occurs as the sun traverses the meridian, reaching a solar altitude of about 90 degrees, its zenith, around the time of the Duhr prayer in the Grand Mosque.
Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, said that due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the sun travels at 23.5 degrees, resulting in a yearly transition between the Tropic of Cancer in the north and Tropic of Capricorn in the south. This transition occurs as the Earth rotates around the sun.
Countries that fall in latitudes below 23.5 degrees north or south experience this phenomenon twice a year, but at different times depending on their specific latitude. These events are primarily observed in areas located between the equator and the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Abu Zahra said that during the “zero shadow” event, people can manually determine the exact direction of the Kaaba with an accuracy similar to smartphone apps.
By placing a wooden stick vertically in the ground at 12:26 p.m. Riyadh time; the qibla will be in the opposite direction of the stick’s shadow, owing to the sun’s position directly above the Kaaba.
The same phenomenon occurred this year earlier in May, and will occur again in May 2024.