It's not the Day of Arafah or the first day of Eid! Jeddah Astronomy Society reveals the true date of the sun's alignment with the Holy Kaaba.

The sky of Mecca will witness on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the phenomenon of the sun being directly overhead the Holy Kaaba, coinciding with noon at approximately 12:18 PM Mecca time.

The phenomenon of the sun being directly overhead the Holy Kaaba is one of the precise astronomical phenomena that receives widespread attention from those interested in determining the direction of the Qibla, as it provides an opportunity to directly verify the accuracy of geographical and astronomical calculations without the need for complex tools, when the sun reaches its apparent position above the Holy Kaaba and its rays become almost perpendicular to it.

It is not the day of Arafah or the first day of Eid !

The date of the first sun alignment with the Holy Kaaba this year

Regarding this, the Astronomical Society in Jeddah explained that the height of the sun on Wednesday, May 27, will be 89.89°, a difference of 0.11° from being directly overhead at the Holy Kaaba, which is equivalent to 6.6 arcminutes from an angle of 90°.

While on Thursday, May 28, its height will reach 89.94°, with a difference of only 0.06° from the complete perpendicularity, which is equivalent to 3.6 arc minutes, making it the day closest to the complete perpendicularity of the sun over the Holy Kaaba.

Therefore, Thursday, May 28, represents the closest moment to the occurrence of near-perfect alignment over the Holy Kaaba, with the sun's altitude reaching a value approaching 90°, making this event an important opportunity for accurate scientific observation, in addition to its practical importance in determining directions on the Earth's surface with high accuracy.

Therefore, on Thursday, May 28, which this year coincides with the second day of Eid al-Adha, the sun will be closer to the zenith above the Holy Kaaba compared to May 27. For this reason, May 28 is considered the most accurate date for the sun’s alignment and closest to the complete alignment of the sun above the Holy Kaaba.

At the moment of perpendicularity, the shadows cast by vertical objects in the vicinity of Mecca disappear almost completely, as the sun's rays fall almost vertically on the Earth's surface, and this moment is considered the most prominent sign of the phenomenon.

The sun's alignment with the Kaaba provides an opportunity to determine the Qibla.

The phenomenon of the sun's alignment with the Kaaba is a practical and accurate method for determining the direction of the Qibla, especially in areas where the sun is visible in the sky at the time of the event. At the moment of alignment, anyone in a location where the sun is visible can directly determine the direction of the Qibla by standing in an open space and observing the shadow cast by a vertical object. The direction of the shadow at that precise moment will point in the exact opposite direction to the Kaaba.

This method is of particular importance in the Arab Gulf countries and various Arab countries and areas near and medium distance from Mecca, where the sun is usually high in the sky at the time of the zenith, which makes it easier to observe the shadow more accurately and makes it one of the simplest and most accurate natural methods for determining the direction of prayer without the need for astronomical or electronic tools.

This phenomenon also represents observational evidence consistent with the spherical geographical models adopted in modern astronomy, as the occurrence of perpendicularity depends on the concept of latitude lines and the change in the angle of incidence of the sun’s rays on the Earth’s surface. This is reflected in the difference in the angle of the sun between one city and another at the same moment and the possibility of calculating the time of perpendicularity with high accuracy according to geographical coordinates, which reflects the accuracy of these models in describing the movement of the sun on the Earth’s surface.