March and September Equinoxes: the Equator (zero latitude)
June Solstice: Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north latitude
December Solstice: Tropic of Capricorn, 23.5 degrees south latitude
I think that the sun is only ever directly overhead the equator at noon on any day of the year.
Yes, a person living at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon on two specific days of the year during the equinoxes (around March 21 and September 23). This phenomenon occurs due to the Earth's axial tilt and the Sun's position relative to the equator.
The sun can only be directly overhead at high noon, when one is between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (within about 15 degrees latitude of the equator). Otherwise the sun only reaches a zenith (highest point) on the southern horizon when one is in the northern hemisphere, and vice versa.
The vertical rays of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere occur at the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at approximately 23.5 degrees North latitude. This is the northernmost point where the sun can be directly overhead at noon, occurring during the summer solstice around June 21.
The sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer on the June Solstice, which can either fall on June 20 or 21 each year.
I think that the sun is only ever directly overhead the equator at noon on any day of the year.
8 degrees north
In the summer - or more specifically, on the summer solstice (June 21 in the northern hemisphere, December 21 in the southern hemisphere) the noon Sun is as high in the sky as it will get. If the Sun were directly overhead, you would cast no shadow at all. As summer progresses into fall, the noon Sun will be lower and lower in the sky until the winter solstice, when the noon Sun is low in the sky, and the noon shadows will be longer.
The sun can never be directly overhead anywhere in New York state ... or anywhere in the USA for that matter. The highest it can ever appear is at noon on June 21. But in order to ever see it directly overhead, you have to be located within 23.5 degrees of the equator.
Yes, a person living at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon on two specific days of the year during the equinoxes (around March 21 and September 23). This phenomenon occurs due to the Earth's axial tilt and the Sun's position relative to the equator.
The sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn during the solstices, which occur twice a year - around June 21 and December 21. This results in the longest and shortest days of the year in the respective hemispheres.
On June 21, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. At the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon, resulting in an altitude of 90 degrees. This phenomenon occurs because the sun's rays are perpendicular to the equator on this date.
At mid-day or when the sun is as close to overhead of you as possible. At this time, your shadow will be directly below you and not long, as it is at sunrise or sunset. If you want which day in a year the Shadow likely to be smallest than it is June 22
September 21 is the autumnal equinox, where the sun is directly overhead at the equator. Places along the equator, such as Ecuador, Kenya, and Indonesia, are most likely to experience the sun directly overhead on this date.
The sun can only be directly overhead at high noon, when one is between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (within about 15 degrees latitude of the equator). Otherwise the sun only reaches a zenith (highest point) on the southern horizon when one is in the northern hemisphere, and vice versa.
The Antarctic Circle never receives direct sunlight. The closest it ever gets is on December 21, when the sun ascends to 43 degrees away from being overhead at noon on the Antarctic Circle. But that's the highest the sun can ever get there.
Summer potentially has the shortest solar shadows because the Sun is more directly overhead. (This would be around noon close to June 21 in the northern hemisphere - Summer solstice - and December 21 in the southern hemisphere - winter solstice).