Lahaina Noon

Details

The subsolar point travels through the tropics. Hawaii is the only US state in the tropics and thus the only one to experience Lāhainā Noon. In 2022 and 2023, the phenomenon occurred in Honolulu on May 26 and July 16. Hawaii and other locations between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn receive the sun's direct rays as the apparent path of the sun passes overhead before and after the summer solstice.

Lāhainā Noon can occur anywhere from 12:16 to 12:43pm Hawaii–Aleutian Standard Time. At that moment objects that stand straight up (flagpoles, bollards, telephone poles, etc.) cast no outward shadow. The most southerly points in Hawaii experience Lāhainā Noon on earlier and later dates than the northern parts. For example, in 2001 Hilo on the Island of Hawaii encountered the overhead sun around May 18 and July 24, Kahului, Maui, on May 24 and July 18, Honolulu, Oahu, on May 26 and July 15 and Lihue, Kauai, on May 31 and July 11. Between each pair of dates, the sun is slightly to the north at solar noon.

Chosen in a contest sponsored by the Bishop Museum in the 1990s, Lāhainā Noon was the selected appellation because lā hainā (the old name for Lāhainā, Hawaii) means "cruel sun" in the Hawaiian language. The ancient Hawaiian name for the event was kau ka lā i ka lolo which translates as "the sun rests on the brains."

Subsolar dates

In popular culture

The event is often covered by Hawaiian media. Activities are associated with the event.

Sky Gate, a unique sculpture in Honolulu created by artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi, features a bendy, bumpy ring that has large changes in height around its circumference. Most of the year, it makes a curvy, twisted shadow on the ground, but during Lāhainā Noon, the height-changing ring casts a perfect circular shadow on the ground. There are often activities held by the City & County of Honolulu around the time of the event on the Frank Fasi Civic Grounds, where the sculpture is located.

The phenomenon occurs in stories, including "Lāhainā Noon" by Eric Paul Shaffer (Leaping Dog, 2005), which won the Ka Palapala Po'okela book award for Excellence in "Aloha from beyond Hawaii".

Gallery

File:Shadows during Lahaina Noon (5767078745).jpg|Lāhainā Noon in Downtown Honolulu File:Sky Gate by Isamu Noguchi.jpg|Sky Gate by Isamu Noguchi

References

References

1. (December 31, 2008). "Clock, sun rarely match at noon".
2. Newsd. (2019-04-24). "Zero Shadow Day 2019: Date, time & know why you cannot see your shadow".
3. (2017-04-07). "Zero Shadow Day".
4. "Lāhainā Noon".
5. (May 23, 2001). "'Lahaina Noon' coming here soon". [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]].
6. {{Hawaiian Dictionaries. Lā-hainā. D48691
7. Nancy Alima Ali. (May 11, 2010). "Noon sun not directly overhead everywhere". [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]].
8. {{Hawaiian Dictionaries. Lolo
9. (May 27, 2006). "Newswatch: Shadows disappear today at Lahaina noon". Honoluu Star-Bulletin.
10. Kaichi, Carolyn. (April 29, 2007). "Earth at prime tilt to view Mercury at apex". Honolulu Advertiser.
11. Miura, Kelli. (July 11, 2008). "Lahaina Noon flits over Honolulu on Tuesday". Honolulu Advertiser.
12. (July 15, 2008). "Liliha Library to host 'Lāhainā Noon,' 'StarLab' astro events". Honolulu Advertiser.
13. Keany, Michael. (June 30, 2008). "Skygate".
14. Adams, Wanda A.. (June 26, 2005). "'Lāhainā Noon' about a warm, clear feeling". Honolulu Advertiser.
15. (October 29, 2006). "Ka Palapala Po'okela winners named". Honolulu Advertiser.
16. Nakaso, Dan. (May 26, 2011). "Shadow lessons: Educators will show kids and adults the marvels of a Lahaina Noon event". Honolulu Star-Advertiser.