Occurring at exactly 12:12 noon local time, the phenomenon, known as “Zero Shadow Day,” occurs when the sun is positioned directly overhead, preventing vertical objects from casting shadows.

This event is part of the sun’s apparent northward path across the Earth’s surface, known as the subsolar point.

As the sun reaches the zenith at different points, its rays strike perpendicularly over those areas, causing shadows to temporarily disappear.

The phenomenon began in Sri Lanka at Dondra Head on April 4 and will continue to move northward across the island until April 15.

This Monday, Colombo, one of the country’s most densely populated cities, experienced the astronomical moment, attracting the attention of astronomy enthusiasts and curious onlookers.

Observers used simple tools, such as a 30 cm vertical rod, to witness it.

This unusual alignment, Zero Shadow Day, also known as Noon of Lāhainā, occurs twice a year in regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, according to experts.

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