Have you noticed that your shadow changes over time? The cartoon on this page shows why shadows change during the day.
Watch the cartoon carefully and read the information that appears. The label at the bottom right of the cartoon tells you the time of day. Press the green button to replay the cartoon.
Can you notice:
- What time of day are the shadows longest?
- What time of day are the shadows shortest?
- How high is the Sun at each of these times?
Have you noticed that your shadow doesn't always look the same? Our cartoon shows why shadows change during the day.
When an object (like the stick in the cartoon) blocks some of the Sun's light, it casts a shadow. The shadow always points away from the Sun. How long the shadow is depends on how low or high the Sun is in the sky. If the Sun is low, we see a longer shadow. Is the Sun is high, we see a shorter shadow.
What’s happening?
When an object (like the stick in the cartoon) blocks some of the Sun's light, it casts a shadow. The shadow always points away from the Sun. How long the shadow is, depends on how low or high the Sun is in the sky. If the Sun is low, we see a longer shadow. If the Sun is high, we see a shorter shadow.
Did you know?
This cartoon is true for the northern half of the Earth (Northern Hemisphere). The shadows point north at midday. In the southern half of the Earth (Southern Hemisphere), the shadows point south at midday.
Try it for yourself!
On a sunny day, go outside and look closely at your shadow at different times of day. What do you notice? Does it agree with our cartoon?