If sunlight could be tracked by shadows, how did ancient Egyptian timekeeping make night fit the same 12-part pattern?

Answer: By using night stars and clocks

By watching the Moon's path — The Moon is a tempting night object, but it is not the evidence used for this 12-hour night structure. Egyptian sources point instead to star groups, merkhets, and water clocks. The key move was giving darkness its own measurable structure.

By burning marked candles — Candles are a plausible timekeeping image, but they are not the Egyptian evidence used here. The cited accounts emphasize decan star groups, merkhets, and water clocks. Those tools made night measurable when shadows were unavailable.

By using night stars and clocks ✓ — This is the missing half of the story. Decan stars helped mark night hours, while merkhets and water clocks supported nighttime measurement. Once daylight and darkness each had 12 parts, a 24-hour day could be imagined as their pairing.