Lāhainā Noon refers to the biannual phenomenon when the sun is directly overhead of the tropics, so a vertical object casts no shadow, which is why it’s also known as zero shadow day. The name was chosen through a contest Bishop Museum held in 1990; “lāhainā” literally means “cruel sun.”
This year in Honolulu, Lāhainā Noon came on Monday, May 26, at 12:28 p.m. Our photographer Aaron K. Yoshino headed over to the Sky Gate sculpture, located between the Frank Fasi Municipal Building and Honolulu Hale.
While many have witnessed their shadows disappearing underfoot during this time, the shadows behave differently at the Sky Gate grounds. For most of the year, renowned artist Isamu Noguchi’s sculpture casts a bent and curvy shadow. During Lāhainā Noon, however, the sun’s rays fall perpendicular through the top of the sculpture, casting a shadow that forms a perfect ring centered over its base. Noguchi intended for the grounds to become a gathering place during this short, solar window, and only during these brief moments can the work be seen in its fully realized state…