The sun will pass directly overhead the Holy Kaaba on May 27 This astronomical phenomenon occurs twice a year as a regular occurrence

In a rare astronomical scene that captures the attention of the Islamic world, the sky is preparing this year for an exceptional event in which religious time intersects with cosmic precision, as the phenomenon of the sun passing directly over the Holy Kaaba coincides with the Day of Arafah, in an event that occurs only once every approximately 33 years.

According to astronomy specialists, the sun will pass directly above the Holy Kaaba at midday on May 27, 2026, corresponding to the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah 1447 AH, the Day of Arafah. At that moment, all shadows in Mecca will completely disappear, in a scene described as both precise and rare.

Twice a year

This astronomical phenomenon occurs twice annually as a normal occurrence due to the location of Mecca at latitude 21.4° north, during the apparent movement of the sun between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky at nearly 90 degrees at noon.

In this context, Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences, explained that the phenomenon usually repeats in late May and mid-July, leading to a complete absence of shadows for objects standing around the Kaaba.

However, what makes this year’s occurrence exceptional is its rare coincidence with the Day of Arafah, an astronomical overlap that happens only once every several decades due to the difference between the lunar and solar calendars, requiring about 33 years for this alignment to recur on the same date.

This phenomenon also carries an important practical aspect, as the moment of the sun’s overhead passage above the Kaaba is used as a precise method for determining the Qibla direction worldwide, by aligning any vertical object with the sun at that time, allowing highly accurate orientation toward Mecca.