Mau 20, 2026
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The Days When the Shadows disappear from our Light Poles & Vertical Walls:**
We’re headed into our worst – hottest week(s) of days on Merida, Yucatan’s Centro streets.
For the next 11 days (today through May 30, 2026) Merida Centro’s East-West running ASPHALT & CONCRETE canyon streets will be BAKING in the year’s worst Sun.
During this 11 day span in Merida, our Sun is basically directly overhead at solar noon (12:55) – blasting Centro’s E-W streets from 10AM to 4 PM … with theyear’s HIGHEST UV levels … due to the Sun’s rays travelling through the SHORTEST paths through our atmosphere in the 2 hours around solar noon.
10:00 AM through 4:00 PM will be ~brutal~ on Merida Centro’s asphalt & concrete canyon E-W streets.
Our normal longer sunlight paths (through more atmosphere) has the atmosphere absorbing more UV & creating less heat in Merida Centro’s asphalt & concrete canyon E-W streets when the Sunlight’s pathlengths are long through the atmosphere.
May 20’th the Sun reaches a brutal 89.1º elevation at 12:55 …
May 21’st the Sun reaches 89.3º elevation at 12:55 …
May 22’nd the Sun reaches 89.5º elevation at 12:55 …
May 23’rd the Sun reaches 89.7º elevation at 12:55 …
May 24’th the Sun reaches a near WORST 89.89º elevation at 12:55 …
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May 25’th the Sun reaches it’s WORST 89.92º elevation at 12:55:30 …
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May 26’th we get a tiny bit of relief when the Sun reaches just 89.75º elevation at 12:55:45 …
May 27’th we get a tiny bit of more relief when the Sun reaches just 89.58º elevation at 12:56:00 …
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**Our local Maya peoples monitored this special set of days by digging a well with perfectly vertical sides … and the 2 days of the year when the bottom of the well was illuminated … marked those days when the sun is directly overhead at midday – Solar Noon.
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Solar System Notes:
Basically from May 20 through July 20’th the Sun goes EXCLUSIVELY in the Northern Skies of Yucatan every day … which means pretty much ALL solar panels in Yucatan are POINTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION (pointing South) for 3 months of the year, because Merida is in the Tropics (south of the Tropic of Capricorn 23º N) …
For this reason, ONLY the highest efficiency PV solar systems have motors & swivels to track the Sun’s path, by swinging around to point NORTH at this time of year (NE in the mornings … N at solar noon, and pointing NW in the afternoons) gaining an addtional 40% of energy versus fixed position panels.
Next:
THE 2026 day when our electrical poles, street lights & perpendicular walls cast no shadows?
After tomorrow’s Spring Solar Equinox, the next big day for Sun watchers here is March 25, 2026 … when the Sun reaches it’s highest elevation of 89.92º – directly overhead – at 12:55 24 sec PM
May 19, 2026 12:54 pm Midday sun maximum @ 88.89º Elevation
May 20, 2026 12:54 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.12º Elevation
May 21, 2026 12:55 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.32º Elevation
May 22, 2026 12:55 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.52º Elevation
May 23, 2026 12:55 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.71º Elevation
May 24, 2026 12:55 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.9º Elevation
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=> May 25, 2026 12:55 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.92º Elevation~
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May 26, 2026 12:56 pm Midday sun maximum @ 89.75º Elevation
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And yes, ancient Yucatec Maya people tracked that special day when the Sun is directly overhead, by recording when the bottom of a special perpendicual well was perfectly illuminated by the mid-day sun, directly overhead …
https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/
Cheers,
Dr. Fry
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© Steven M. Fry
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