Weird Solar Phenomenon Causes Objects To Have No Shadow

A weird solar phenomenon that causes vertical objects to have no shadows is amazing the internet, with people saying it looks like photos taken in GTA. See for yourself:

The occurrence happens when the sun is at a 90 degree angle, directly above Earth, and it's called Lahaina Noon.

It happens in various locations along the equator, but most recently it's happened in Hawaii, with a Reddit user posting an incredible photo on the site.

The image, of a beer bottle, was shared with the caption: "Lahaina Noon in Hawaii right now - the sun passes directly overhead, so anything that isn't top-heavy doesn't cast a shadow."

As you can see in the incredible photo, it looks like someone's just taken a photo from inside a game, with the lack of shadow meaning it's difficult to make out any perspective or depth.

Reddit users commented on this impressive photo.

One simply said: "I feel like I'm looking at a picture taken in GTA San Andreas," while another had a similar thought, adding: "My old gamer self just thinks this is a render from 1998."

Someone joked: "My man forgot to turn on the shadows setting."

Facebook

Another explained that they were shocked to experience it in real life.

They wrote: "This happened when I was living in Hawaii and had no idea it was a thing. I walked out of a burger place, and nothing was casting a shadow. I felt high, and had to brace myself up against a bike rack, thinking back if I had maybe inadvertently taken something and not remembered.

"Driving back to my apartment was even more surreal. My depth perception felt way off with nothing casting a shadow. Luckily within a few minutes, the sun changed enough, but man. That was some s**t for a 17-year-old before random internet knowledge."

The event happens twice a year in tropical areas, with Hawaii being the only US state to witness it. It gets its name from the Hawaiian term 'la haina', which means 'cruel sun'.

Reddit

And it's not just Hawaii that gets to experience the bizarre but incredible occurrence. It only happens in the tropics, so anywhere that has a 0-degree latitude will see it twice a year.

Other places are too far away from the equator for the sun to be directly overhead. Other locations that get to see it include Singapore, Nicaragua and parts of the Philippines.

Topics: Interesting, Weird

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward