Lāhaina Noon 2008
LĀHAINA NOON is a term coined in 1989 as a result of a contest sponsored by the Bishop Museum Planetarium. The words Lā and Haina are translated as “cruel sun” and refer to the moment where the sun is at the zenith of an area. This phenomenon occurs only in the Tropics, the area on Earth defined as the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N.) to the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S.) where the sun actually passes directly overhead in the sky. During Lāhaina Noon, perpendicular objects, such as flagpoles or fences, “lose” their shadow as the angle of the sun causes the shadow to be cast directly under the object. Although any location in the Tropics experiences this twice a year as the sun goes between the summer and winter solstices, Hawai‘i is the only location to name the event “Lāhaina Noon”!
While only one time and date is listed for each location, the “shadowless moment” also can occur within a minute the day before or after the listed times.
Līhue |
May 31 |
July 11 |
Kāne‘ohe |
May 26 |
July 15 |
Honolulu |
May 26 |
July 15 |
Kaunakakai |
May 25 |
July 17 |
Lāna‘i City |
May 23 |
July 18 |
Lāhaina |
May 23 |
July 17 |
Kahului |
May 24 |
July 17 |
Hāna |
May 23 |
July 18 |
Hilo |
May 17 |
July 23 |
Kailua-Kona |
May 17 |
July 24 |