Bhubaneswar: Science enthusiasts experienced the zero shadow moment starting from 11.43am on Monday at Pathani Samanta Planetarium here.

They took part in the interactive and educational activities about the phenomenon.

Zero shadow day is a phenomenon that occurs twice a year. It takes place when the sun is at a 90° angle to the earth's surface or when the sun is just overhead.

The celestial event will again take place here on July 22 at 11.53am.

The zero shadow days can be observed in all parts of the state on different dates and times.

The planetarium's deputy director Subhendu Pattnaik said: "The zero shadow days fall during the uttarayan when the sun moves northwards and dakshinayan when the sun moves southwards."

The event can only be observed between Kanyakumari to central India below the Tropic of Cancer that passes through Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bengal and Tripura.

Activities such as jumping in the air to see one's own shadow and lodging a stick vertically into level ground to see how its shadows play around were organised to help students learn the simple concepts of the earth's motions.

In Cuttack, it will be observed around the same time on May 22 and July 22; at 11.52am on May 28 and at 11.56am on July 15 in Burla; at 11.54am on May 23 and at 12.04pm on July 20 in Balangir; at 11.41am on May 31 and at 11.49am on July 12 in Baripada and at 11.58am on June 2 and at 11.56am on July 10 in Rourkela.