Dusk

For other uses, see Dusk (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with sunset.

Dusk is the end of evening twilight.

Dusk is the darkest stage of twilight in the evening. During early to intermediate stages of twilight, there may be enough light in the sky under clear-sky conditions to read outdoors without artificial illumination. Civil dusk occurs when the earth rotates to a point at which the center of the sun is at 6° below the local horizon. This marks the end of the evening civil twilight, the point where artificial illumination is required to read outside. Twilight comes after sunset, which is the point at which the earth has rotated just enough that the sun is no longer visible on the local horizon (under clear conditions).

Technical definitions

There are also more technical definitions of dusk, including the following:

Civil dusk

The time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the evening. At this time objects are distinguishable and some stars and planets are visible to the naked eye.

Nautical dusk

Is when the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon in the evening. At this time, objects are no longer distinguishable, and the horizon is no longer visible to the naked eye.

Astronomical dusk

The time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon in the evening. At this time the sun no longer illuminates the sky, and thus no longer interferes with astronomical observations.

Seattle, Washington at dusk

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  Dusk in Porto Covo, west coast of Portugal
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  Dusk, seen from a plane on cruise
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  São Paulo at dusk, view from Ibirapuera Park
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  Dusk in Joshua Tree, California, USA

See also

• Dawn
• Sunrise
• Sunset
• Twilight