When Your Shadow Plays Hide and Seek

Hello, Little Explorer,

Have you ever noticed how your shadow changes throughout the day? Sometimes it’s long and stretches far away from you, but at other times, it almost disappears! Let’s discover the magical science behind your disappearing shadow.

Where Does Your Shadow Hide at Noon?

When the sun is high in the sky, right above your head at noon, something amazing happens – your shadow becomes super tiny! It’s almost like your shadow is playing hide and seek with you.

Your shadow is always on the opposite side from the sun. In the morning, when the sun is low in the east, your shadow stretches long toward the west. In the afternoon, when the sun is in the west, your shadow points east. But at noon, when the sun is directly overhead, your shadow has nowhere to go but right under your feet!

Let’s Do a Shadow Experiment!

You can watch your shadow change throughout the day with this fun experiment:

Find a sunny spot outside where you can stand safely.
In the morning (around 9 AM), stand in your spot and ask a grown-up to trace the outline of your shadow with chalk.
Come back at noon and have them trace your shadow again. Notice how much smaller it is!
Return in the afternoon (around 3 PM) for one more tracing. See how your shadow has moved to the other side?

Each time you trace your shadow, write down the time. Take a photo or draw a picture of what you see. Your shadow is telling you where the sun is in the sky!

Why Does This Happen?

Your shadow forms when your body blocks the sun’s light. The position of the sun in the sky changes as Earth rotates throughout the day. When the sun is low in the sky, your body blocks a long path of sunlight, creating a long shadow. When the sun is high overhead, your body only blocks a small path, making your shadow short.

Shadow Fun Facts

Near the equator, there are special days when you might have NO shadow at noon!
In winter, your noon shadow is longer than in summer because the sun doesn’t get as high in the sky.
Astronauts on the moon have very dark shadows because there’s no air to scatter light.

Remember, your shadow is always with you – sometimes it’s just playing a really good game of hide and seek!