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Twilight is the time period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk. Morning twilight: astronomical, nautical, and civil stages at dawn. The apparent disk of the Sun is shown to scale. [ 1 ] Evening twilight: civil, nautical, and astronomical stages at dusk. The solar disk is shown to scale.
Twilight is a great time for stargazing. Find out about the different stages of twilight and what do see in the sky as the Sun sets.
- Astronomical Twilight
- Astronomical Dawn and Astronomical Dusk
- Timing and Length
- Twilight Around The Poles
Each twilight phase is defined by the solar elevation angle, which is the position of the Sun in relation to the horizon. During astronomical twilight, the geometric center of the Sun's disk is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon. To the naked eye, and especially in areas with light pollution, it may be difficult to distinguish astronomical...
The twilight phases in the morning are often called dawn, while the twilight phases in the evening are referred to as dusk. However, unlike the term twilight, which describes a time span, the terms dawn and dusk refer to moments during the transitions between day and night. Astronomical dawnis the moment when the geometric center of the Sun is 18 d...
The duration of each twilight phase depends on the latitude and the time of the year. In locations where the Sun is directly overhead at noon—for example at the equator during the equinoxes—the Sun traverses the horizon at an angle of 90°, making for swift transitions between night and day and relatively short twilight phases. For example, in Quito...
At high latitudes and around the summer solstice, the Sun does not move lower than 18° below the horizon, so twilight can last from sunset to sunrise. The area experiencing all-night astronomical twilight around the summer solstice lies between about 48°33′ and 54°33′ North and South. In the northern hemisphere, this roughly correlates with the are...
- Civil twilight. Let’s consider the stages of twilight as occurring after sunset. Keep in mind that they would reverse their order at sunrise. Civil twilight begins the moment the sun slips below the horizon.
- Nautical twilight. In the evening, nautical twilight takes over where civil twilight ends. The definition of nautical twilight is the time period when the center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon to 12 degrees below the horizon.
- Astronomical twilight. The darkest twilight stage is astronomical twilight. The definition of astronomical twilight is the period of time when the center of the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon to 18 degrees below the horizon.
Jul 5, 2023 · Most of us think of twilight as a single period of transition from bright day to deep night, but there are actually three twilights: civil, nautical, and astronomical. Each is defined by how far ...
- Gemma Tarlach
Sep 9, 2022 · Dusk and dawn are particular moments in time, based on the Sun’s position in relation to the horizon. Together with twilight, there are three types of dusk and dawn. Here is how low beneath the horizon the Sun’s center during each phase is: Civil dusk / dawn: 6°. Nautical dusk / dawn: 12°.
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Oct 9, 2016 · Twilight. Watching the Sun set below the horizon and the sky gradually get darker and darker is an almost magical experience. Twilight is that period of the day when the sky is not completely dark, and it can be used to describe the period either just after sunset, or just before sunrise. It is valued by photographers because of the the soft ...
