Sun aligns directly over Kaaba in rare celestial event, offering Muslims precise Qibla direction

Dubai: In a rare and striking celestial event, the sun aligned directly over the Holy Kaaba in Mecca on Tuesday, allowing Muslims around the world to determine the Qibla — the direction of prayer — with remarkable accuracy.

At the moment of alignment, the sun stood precisely above the Kaaba, causing shadows to vanish completely in its immediate vicinity.

“The sky over Mecca witnessed the sun directly aligning with the Kaaba, causing shadows to disappear completely. The Qibla can be precisely determined from any location where the sun can be seen,” the Jeddah Astronomy Society said in a statement.

The phenomenon occurs as the sun travels southward from the Tropic of Cancer and crosses Mecca’s latitude at approximately 21.4 degrees North. Known as a Solar Zenith, the event typically occurs twice a year, around late May and mid-July, due to the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees.

 Majed Abu Zahra, President of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, noted that the zenith coincides with the Dhuhr prayer in Mecca, imbuing the event with both scientific and spiritual significance. For a moment, sunlight descends vertically upon the Kaaba, creating a powerful and symbolic alignment.

Beyond its visual impact, the event provides a traditional means for Muslims worldwide to verify the Qibla without the use of modern tools. At the precise time of the solar zenith, those able to see the sun can simply face it to align their prayers toward Mecca with exceptional precision.

Astronomers also view the alignment as a valuable opportunity to observe atmospheric refraction near the zenith point, yielding insights into how light behaves at steep angles. Such observations help refine our understanding of solar positioning and atmospheric conditions.