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Shadows are the longest when it is dawn or night. In the afternoon, the sun is over us, which makes our shadow short!

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What is the length of the shadow at midday?

It's determined by the height (angle above the horizon) of the Sun, and the physical height of the object throwing the shadow. The height of the Sun at midday is 90 degrees minus the latitude plus the Sun's declination of the day, which varies by up to ±23.5 degrees through the year. The length of the shadow is the height of the object divided by the tangent of the Sun's height. Example, a 6 ft object at 50 degrees north on June 21: height of the object is 6 ft, divided by tan(90 - 50 + 23.5) so the shadow has a length of 3 ft.


What is the different positions of shadows in morning noon and afternoon?

Morning: The shadow will be the longest and facing the west as the sun rises in the east Noon: The shadow will be the shortest as the sun is directly above the object Afternoon: The shadow will be slightly longer and facing east as the sun is going to set in the west soon.


Why does the shadow change during the day?

Shadows are created when something comes between the Sun and the surface upon which the shadow is cast. So if you draw a straight line from the Sun's position in the sky and on through the object that's casting the shadow, you will find that the shadow occurs where the straight line intersects that surface. Let's call that straight line the line of shadow (LOS). And it goes Sun to object, to surface where the shadow lies. But wait, the shadow is moving, very very slowly but it is moving. Remember the LOS determines where the shadow lies upon the surface. So something is changing with the LOS. And that something is the Sun's position in the sky. The Sun rises higher in the sky before noon and sags lower in the sky after noon (approximately). As it rises and lowers, the angle at which the LOS intersects the surface and casts that shadow changes to made the shadow shorter as the Sun lifts and longer as the Sun sets. Bottom line: shadows caused by the Sun change during the day because the position of the Sun in the sky changes from low to high, back to low during the day. And that changes the LOS angle onto the shadowed surface.


How can a shadow be reflected?

It is actually impossible to reflect a shadow, as a shadow is merely an absence of light. However, what IS reflected is the light surrounding the shadow. When this light is reflected, it forms a reflected image of the light's shape, complete with a lack of light, or shadow. In this way, it can look like a shadow is reflected.


Why is your shadow sometimes in front of you and sometimes behind you?

Your shadow will fall in the direction opposite the source of light - with you between the light source and the shadow. The direction of your shadow relative to you will depend on what direction you are facing.If you are facing toward the light source, the shadow will be behind you.If you are facing away from the light source, it will be in front of you.If you have the light source to your right, the shadow will be to your left.If you have the light source to your left, the shadow will be to your right.If the light source is directly above you, the shadow will be directly under you.If you move past a light source, your shadow will move from behind you to beside you and then to in front of you.

Related Questions

What time of the day is the shadow at the longest?

the longest shadow you see in the day is 3\early in the morning and near the sunset...


During the daytime when does the sun cast the longest shadow?

As can be observed on any sunny day, the shadows are longest at sunrise and at sunset.


At what time of day will the sun cast the longest shadow?

The sun casts the longest shadows immediately after sunrise and immediately before sunset.


Which time of the day would a trees shadow be the longest?

Just after sunrise, or just before sunset.


When will your shadow be longest?

At dawn and dusk.


What time would a shadow be at its longest?

That depends where you are on the planet. Your shadow would be longest if you were standing on a rotational pole at the time of equinox. At this point your shadow would be infinity long as it would be "projected" into space. However as a rule of thumb one's shadow is longest when the sun is rising or setting but high enough to cast your shadow.


What happens to your shadow's position throughout the day?

Your shadow's position changes throughout the day due to the Earth's rotation. It is longest in the morning and evening when the sun is low in the sky, and shortest when the sun is directly overhead at noon. The angle of the sun in the sky affects the length and direction of your shadow.


When is a smaller shadow formed?

at noon the shadow is point sized {smaller} and in morning and evening the shadow is the longest.


When the shadow is longest in time?

when its its sunrise and evening.


How does the length of your shadow change in the day?

The length of your shadow changes throughout the day due to the angle of the sun in the sky. Your shadow is longest when the sun is low in the sky, typically early morning and late afternoon, and shortest when the sun is directly overhead around midday. This is because the higher the sun is in the sky, the shorter the shadow it creates.


What time of the day is a shadow longest?

A shadow is longest in the early morning or late afternoon when the angle of the sun is low in the sky. This occurs during sunrise and sunset when the sun is closest to the horizon, causing objects to cast longer shadows.


How shadows change size during a day?

shadow will become short when it was xiawu and no shadow at night! haha At noon, when the sun aerial, and shadows is the shortest. When the sun goes down, the shadows change into the longest.