Is there a zero shadow of Qutub Minar at local noon on 21st June?

New Delhi: To mark the International Day of Yoga on Tuesday, the National Monuments Authority will organise an astrophysical analysis of the movement of the sun around the Qutub Minar with the help of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the culture ministry said in a statement.

The study will determine if Qutub Minar is tilted at a certain angle, does it have any astronomical significance, and whether there is a zero shadow of the Minaret at local noon on 21st June.

The study begins at 11.30 am on June 21 and will go on till 1.30 pm. Some special devices are being used and an App has also been created to help the people to track the event.

Senior scientists and surveyors have formed a team as requested by National Monuments Authority for the study that includes Dr Neruj Mohan Ramanujan, Head of the Scientific Communications Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore; Dr. Virendra Yadav, Senior Scientist from Arya Bhatt Research Institute of Observational Sciences and Rajiv Dhyani from Survey of India .

They will make a study and submit a report to Chairman, National Monuments Authority, Tarun Vijay.

Scientists will try to measure the length of the shadow every 10 minutes or so, starting at 11.30 am, going on to about 1.30 pm.

Not only will this tell us if there is zero shadow at local noon, but it will also help us track the progression of the shadow length, said Vijay.

"Given the dimensions of the Qutub Minar, it will be possible to calculate the tilt angle from these measurements.

"For some angles of the tilt, it is expected that the shadow at local noon will fall on the ground and for some, will fall on the tower itself. For this purpose, a device to measure vertical angles, for the latter case, has been requisitioned," the ministry statement said.

The study will be preceded by a Yoga event at Vishnu Garud Dhwaj (Iron Pillar).