Shadow

light · sight · science

Light gets blocked. When an object stands between a light source and a surface, the light can't pass through, so it creates a dark shadow on the other side. The shape of the shadow matches the outline of the object blocking the light.

Sunlight makes shadows. The sun is such a bright light source that it casts shadows everywhere during the day. Your own shadow follows you around because your body blocks the sunlight from reaching the ground beneath your feet.

Shadows change size. A shadow gets longer in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky, but it shrinks down around midday when the sun is high overhead. This is why your afternoon shadow is taller than you are.

Shadows are silhouettes. The shadow you see is like a flat, dark outline or cutout of whatever is blocking the light. It shows the shape of the object but not any of the colors or details.

Shade is different. While a shadow is a flat dark spot on a surface, shade is the three-dimensional region of darkness behind an object when light shines on it, like the cool darkness under a tree on a sunny day.