World 1 · Day, Night & Shadows · 6 minSun height and shadow length
Low Sun, long shadow
Teaching this? Open projector mode
A shadow is the patch of ground that light cannot reach because something is in the way. For a straight stick on flat ground, the light that just grazes the top of the stick lands at the tip of the shadow.
So the shadow's length depends only on how high the Sun is: length = stick height ÷ tan(Sun height). At 45° the shadow is exactly as long as the stick. And it always points directly away from the Sun.
Check yourself
The Sun is 45° above the horizon. How long is the shadow of a 2 m pole?
Check yourself
Where is the Sun if your shadow points east?
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