WILLEMSTAD – The sun will be positioned directly above Curaçao today at 12:39 p.m., creating a brief moment when objects standing upright will cast virtually no shadow.
At that time, the sun will reach its highest point in the sky as seen from Curaçao. Solar radiation will also reach its maximum potential intensity, although cloud cover could reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the surface.
The phenomenon occurs because Curaçao lies within the tropics, where the sun can reach the zenith — the point directly overhead — on certain days of the year.
Around 12:39 p.m., vertical objects such as poles and buildings will therefore produce extremely short shadows.
The sun's apparent position is currently moving southward. This movement will continue until December 21, around the December solstice, after which the sun's apparent path will begin moving northward again.
As a result, today will be the last time this year that the sun passes directly overhead in Curaçao.
The phenomenon will return on April 22, 2027, when the sun is again expected to reach a position directly above the island around midday.