<p>The time the sun is actually directly overhead depends on where you are in your time zone. In the eastern part of the time zone, the sun will be overhead sooner, and in the western part it will be overhead later. Where you are, it happens to be directly overhead at 11:32. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T15:28:39.753Z
Yes, Costa Rica's timezone is GMT-6h, but its longitude is between 83 and 86W, thus "noon" occurs earlier than midday by roughly 12-28 minutes. However, the equation of time varies this by roughly +/- 15 minutes depending on the time of year.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-23T19:15:51.783Z
2017-08-23T19:15:51.783Z
Mark Foskey
<p>If you look at the position of the sun at the same time each day, over the course of a year, you will find it traces a "figure of 8" pattern in the sky called an <em><a href="http://solar-center.stanford.edu/art/analemma.html" rel="noreferrer">analemma</a></em>. This may seem an extremely obscure thing to have a name, but it is important for sundial makers, and comes from sundial cant.</p>

<p>Now this means that the time that the sun will cross the meridian will vary from day to day. At the equator, the sun will travel directly overhead only on the equinoxes. In June, the sun will be in the North at midday, In December it will be in the South.</p>

<p>Each country is in a time-zone. It is a matter of convenience that the time in the country is all the same, rather than each location using their local solar time. At your location in Costa Rica you have found that solar noon occurs at 11:32. The Costa Rican's could choose to put their clocks forward an hour, but if they did, then local noon would be at 12:32.</p>

<p>The effect of time-zones is most extreme in the far west of China, where Beijing time is in use. There, local noon occurs at about 15:00. China chooses to have a single time zone, in contrast to other large countries like the USA or Russia.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-23T20:29:57.813Z
2017-08-23T20:29:57.813Z
James K
<p>On Equator, why do objects cast the shortest shadows at 11:32 and not 12:00? </p>

<p>For instance, this happens in Costa Rica.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T12:44:26.207Z
Because on the day you observed this, it wasn't the equinox.
zephyr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T13:25:59.810Z
@zephyr  while true,  that falls into the category of "Microsoft Answer"
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T13:48:54.533Z
@CarlWitthoft That's why it's only a comment.
zephyr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-25T10:54:45.010Z
I've edited the question so that it reflects what I think the questioner meant. If not, I'm at a loss to understand what is being asked here at all! I would just add that Costa Rica isn't really all that close to the equator.
adrianmcmenamin
<the-sun><earth>
On the Equator, why are the shortest shadows seen at 11:32, and not at Noon?
Anixx
# On the Equator, why are the shortest shadows seen at 11:32, and not at Noon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-23)

On Equator, why do objects cast the shortest shadows at 11:32 and not 12:00?

For instance, this happens in Costa Rica.

**Tags:** the-sun, earth

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Because on the day you observed this, it wasn't the equinox.  
> **username_2**: @username_1  while true,  that falls into the category of "Microsoft Answer"  
> **username_1**: @CarlWitthoft That's why it's only a comment.  
> **username_3**: I've edited the question so that it reflects what I think the questioner meant. If not, I'm at a loss to understand what is being asked here at all! I would just add that Costa Rica isn't really all that close to the equator.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-08-23. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

If you look at the position of the sun at the same time each day, over the course of a year, you will find it traces a "figure of 8" pattern in the sky called an *[analemma](http://solar-center.stanford.edu/art/analemma.html)*. This may seem an extremely obscure thing to have a name, but it is important for sundial makers, and comes from sundial cant.

Now this means that the time that the sun will cross the meridian will vary from day to day. At the equator, the sun will travel directly overhead only on the equinoxes. In June, the sun will be in the North at midday, In December it will be in the South.

Each country is in a time-zone. It is a matter of convenience that the time in the country is all the same, rather than each location using their local solar time. At your location in Costa Rica you have found that solar noon occurs at 11:32. The Costa Rican's could choose to put their clocks forward an hour, but if they did, then local noon would be at 12:32.

The effect of time-zones is most extreme in the far west of China, where Beijing time is in use. There, local noon occurs at about 15:00. China chooses to have a single time zone, in contrast to other large countries like the USA or Russia.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-23. Score: 6

The time the sun is actually directly overhead depends on where you are in your time zone. In the eastern part of the time zone, the sun will be overhead sooner, and in the western part it will be overhead later. Where you are, it happens to be directly overhead at 11:32.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Yes, Costa Rica's timezone is GMT-6h, but its longitude is between 83 and 86W, thus "noon" occurs earlier than midday by roughly 12-28 minutes. However, the equation of time varies this by roughly +/- 15 minutes depending on the time of year.  

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