The sun aligned with the Kaaba during the noon prayer at the Grand Mosque in Mecca today, Monday, in an astronomical phenomenon known as solar culmination, which is the second and final occurrence this year, 2024. According to the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, the second alignment happens as the sun "apparently" returns from the Tropic of Cancer heading southward to the equator, reaching the zenith line and reaching an altitude of approximately 90 degrees. A video broadcast by Saudi television showed a zero shadow, indicating the disappearance of the shadow of the Kaaba. #TheSunAlignsWithTheKaaba #YouAreWithUsInTheMoment
The head of the society, Majed Abu Zahra, explained that the reason for the solar alignment above the Kaaba is due to the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees, which causes the sun to "apparently" move between the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south as the Earth revolves around the sun once a year. It is noteworthy that the first solar alignment occurred this year in 2024 when the sun moved from the equatorial line to the Tropic of Cancer last May, and it will realign with the honored Kaaba again in May next year, 2025.
