Like any magic trick, once you know the secret of an optical illusion, it's hard to fall for it again. But here's an example that still looks absolutely wild even though I know exactly what's going on.
Twice a year in Hawaii, the sun passes directly overhead at solar noon. This causes vertical objects to cast no shadow. Known as Lahaina Noon, this phenomenon has resulted in some pretty wild photos that can't help but look like bad Photoshop.
Twice a year, Hawai'i experiences a strange moment where the sun appears to be exactly overhead & anything that is completely vertical casts no shadow.Let's learn about Lāhainā Noon, subsolar points & 'Kau ka lā i ka lolo', meaning "the sun rests on the brains."
— @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social ( @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social.bsky.social ) 2026-07-23T12:00:05.322Z
Currently doing the rounds online is what looks like graphic designers botched attempt to superimpose a can of coconut milk into a photo of of a road. But no, it's just a photo – the can is really there. "What's happening is that the sun is exactly and precisely overhead - so any cylindrical objects up on end like this will cast no shadow, sending our minds into an absolute tizzy," says science writer Mike Sowden on Substack.
Also known as "zero shadow day", Lāhainā Noon can occur anywhere from 12:16 to 12:43 pm. Hawaii is the only US state in the tropics and thus the only one to experience the phenomenon. (Thanks, Wikipedia.)
From floating boats to overlapping galaxies, the natural world is responsible for some of the most mind-bending optical illusions we've seen in recent years.
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