Is the shadow the longest or the shortest when the sun is highest?

When the sun is highest, the shadow is shortest.

When the sun is at the highest point above the horizon, its direct light has the smallest shadow on the object.

1, the length of the shadow is also affected by other factors.

When the sun is at the highest point in the sky, that is, at noon, objects directly illuminated by the sun produce the shortest shadow. This is because when the sun shines directly on an object, the angle is steepest, and the light is closer to the vertical direction relative to the ground, thus minimizing the shadow of the object.

Latitude is near the equator, and the shadow is relatively short because of the high angle of the sun. In the polar regions, due to the low angle of the sun, the shadow is relatively long.

The season is in winter, and the sun angle is low, so the shadow is longer. In summer, the angle of the sun is higher and the shadow is relatively short. The roughness of the terrain will lead to the occlusion or reflection of sunlight, and then affect the length of the shadow.

Clouds with strong weather conditions or dust in the atmosphere will scatter or block sunlight, thus affecting the length of shadows.

The combined effect of these factors will make the actual shadow length more complicated, but at the highest point of the direct sun object, the overall shadow length is often the shortest.

Step 2: Shadow

Shadows are shadows or dark areas produced by objects that block light. When light meets an object, part of it is absorbed or reflected by the object, and the other part passes through the object to form a shadow, which is what we call a shadow.

The basic process of shadow formation is the linear propagation of light. When the light source shines on an object, the object will block some light from passing through, and this blocked light will form a shadow area.

The shape of shadow is related to the mutual position and shape of light source, object and background. When the light source is located on the back or side of the object, the outline and shape of the object are projected on the background, forming a clear shadow.

People often use shadows to measure the height or distance of objects and judge time. For example, a shadow observer using sunlight. In addition, shadows are widely used in art, photography and visual effects.