Summer Solstice at Tropic of Cancer in Aswan, Egypt

August 04, 2008

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Referred by: Aymen Ibrahem
Summary Author and Editor: Aymen Ibrahem

The photo above was captured just a few minutes past noon in Aswan, Egypt on June 22, 2008, when the Sun was approximately at the zenith. I was in Aswan visiting the Nubian Museum. One of this museum’s attractions is a model prehistoric cave. When I entered the solemn cave, I was amazed by several brilliant images of the Sun, projected on the floor. These images were formed by circular openings in the ceiling of the cave. Aswan, at approximately 24 degrees north latitude, lies very near the Tropic of Cancer (23°27′ N), and at this latitude, near the time of the summer solstice, the Sun is 90 degrees above the horizon at noon – directly overhead.