How long sunset

Although, technically speaking, neither does it rise, nor does it set. The Sun is the center of the solar system and stays constant in its place. It is the earth that rotates around it in a west-east motion.

That is why, if you were on Venus, you would see the sunrise in the west and set in the east because Venus rotates in the east-west motion. These two days are called the equinoxes. This alignment occurs only twice a year and these two days are called the spring and fall equinoxes.

Often people tend to mix up sunset and twilight because twilight is often used as a synonym of sunset. However, sunset and twilight are two different phenomena. Twilight is actually the time after the sunset and before night. Twilight is divided into three stages. The first stage is called Civil twilight, the second one Nautical twilight, and the third one Astronomical twilight. The brightest stage of twilight is called Civil twilight.

It starts from the instant the sun goes down the horizon and lasts until the sun is 6 below the horizon. It usually lasts for thirty minutes but can also be longer or shorter depending on various factors such as location and time of the year. The stage right after the civil twilight is called Nautical twilight. It occurs when the sun is between 6 to 12 below the horizon. This stage also lasts for about thirty minutes. The last stage of twilight is called astronomical twilight. Although they sound confusing, these are just terms for how low the Sun is beneath the horizon, which indicates how dark it is.

Finally, we have astronomical twilight , which is the last stage before nighttime. This is what many people consider dark. So, as you can see, it is not quite as straightforward as you may think. The day of the year will have a massive effect on the day length too, and this will change the time that it actually gets dark in your city.

However, on average it takes around 70 minutes for it to get fully dark after sunset. In some states, it may take a little longer than this for it to get truly dark. This is going to be the case for people located in the United States and in the majority of Europe too.

However, this can differ a lot as you move closer or further away from the equator. This place is well known for its unique day length, which is probably like nothing most of us have ever experienced before. Through November to January, the Sun never comes completely above the horizon.

Later, sunsets can be observed in high mountains as the horizon is lower. An interesting phenomenon was also noticed in the mountain area: double sunset. The Sun vanishes after a part of the mountain only to reappear on another part before setting ultimately. The same happens in the cities with really tall buildings. However, the phenomenon lasts only 3 minutes.

During the year, the Earth changes its position around the Sun, which affects the lengths of the night time. However, for most of the areas, the difference is not significant just a couple of minutes , but it gets more enjoyable while you go up North. In some cases Alaska , during the summer months, there is no night at all.

The phenomenon is known as Midnight Sun, and it is quite essential for the locals and not only. However, during the winter months, the folks living at the poles experience the Polar Night when the night lasts more than 24 hours. However, it is not entirely dark everywhere in the polar circle but only in regions within 5.

The rest of the places just have more twilight than equatorial regions. Two times a year, the daytime equals the night. These events are known as Equinoxes , and they happen when the center of the Sun is right above the equator. The Solstices mark either the longest day of the year in June or the shortest in December.

The Sun appears to be at the highest point in the sky. However, closer to the equator, the timeframe would be around 23 minutes. If we look at some figures during the March equinox when the day time is the same for everyone, we will observe that at the equator, it gets dark faster than up north. Determining the twilight times for a particular region might prove difficult, but many websites and apps are designed to help. So, before going out to stargaze, you might want to check one of the reliable sources that will give you the exact timings for the right moment to start watching the sky.

The Different Types of Twilight Twilight is the period of time when the sunlight is still visible, although the Sun is below the horizon. The True Night-Time Understanding what the night time is can be relatively easy. Proximity to the Equator and Location One of the most important factors that influence the length of the night time is the latitude.