How to predict a beautiful sunset or sunrise. Interesting Sunset and Sunrise Facts Sunset or Sunset

What could be more beautiful and emotional than a magnificent moment when the sun disappearing behind the horizon illuminates everything around with bright light? I suggest you admire a selection of very beautiful landscapes with sunsets

We continue the series of collections with beautiful photos of sunsets. Earlier we admired photographs of mountain sunsets, now we will tell you more about this phenomenon in general.


Such a beautiful phenomenon is explained by atmospheric diffraction - the refraction of light. This is the process when the rays of light from the sun change their direction, passing through the Earth's atmosphere and colliding with different layers of air. This time of day also increases the brightness and intensity of the rainbow, which appears much brighter than normal.


Light rays are scattered through the layers of the atmosphere into many waves of different lengths and sizes. At this time, violet and blue colors are much more scattered than yellow and red. That is why red and orange hues predominate during sunset.

During the day, the Earth's atmosphere heats up, winds raise clouds of dust - all this affects the passage of sunlight through the atmosphere. The amazing moment is that each sunset is unique in its own way, like a human fingerprint. A sunset cannot be repeated in the same way, just as the same atmospheric conditions cannot be formed each time at the time of sunset.


Surely many of you have wondered what sunsets look like on other planets and whether they are there at all. Something similar can be seen on Mars, but the absence of a real atmosphere inevitably means a lack of light. Thus, on no other planet can you watch the same beautiful sunsets as on Earth. We should be grateful to nature for this splendor and enjoy this beauty every evening.

The natural phenomenon, which we call sunset, is a time period when the celestial body moves towards the horizon, gradually disappearing behind it. Sunrise is the opposite process - the emergence of the solar disk from behind the horizon. Both of these phenomena are very similar to each other, the only difference is that sunsets are mostly saturated with brighter colors and unexpected play of colors, therefore they are more interesting for artists and photographers.

Consider the features of the sunset process. The lower it falls to the horizon line, the more it loses its brightness, and acquires a reddish color. A change in the color of a star entails a change in the entire celestial color. The sky near the Sun becomes red, yellow and orange, and on the part of the sky that is anti-solar, a pale band of light color becomes visible.

When the solar disk reaches the horizon, it turns dark red, and we can observe the bright bands of dawn that spread in all directions from it. Zarya has a complex color range, ranging from orange below to greenish blue above. Above the dawn you can see a round radiance that has no color.

At the same time, a dark shadow of the Earth rises above the opposite part of the horizon line, it is separated from the light part of the sky by a strip of pink-orange color, which is called the Belt of Venus.

This phenomenon can be observed anywhere on our planet, a prerequisite is a clear sky. The color of the Belt is due to the fact that the rays of the setting sun are scattered, which have an orange-red color.

The sun, which is sinking lower and lower below the horizon, colors the sky in an intense purple color. This phenomenon did not go unnoticed by scientists and was called Purple Light.

This natural phenomenon is most noticeable when the location of the sun is 5 degrees below the horizon. Purple light makes the sky grand and infinitely beautiful. Everything is painted in scarlet, purple, violet, and from this it acquires mystery and mystical outlines.

The splendor of purple gives way to the Rays of the Buddha. This natural phenomenon is characterized by fiery red tones, while rays radiate upward from the place of sunset, which are distinct light stripes.

Saying goodbye to the Earth with the Rays of Buddha, the Sun goes to a well-deserved rest. Reminds of him only a dark red stripe lying on the horizon, which is gradually fading away. Day follows night.

This example is just one of many possible ways in which a sunset could develop. This phenomenon is striking in its diversity and inconstancy, more and more new forms.

On our site you can use the calculator and calculate the time of sunrise and sunset anywhere in the world.

Just like sunset and sunrise occur every day at different times and only due to the rotation around the Sun. In another case, the celestial body would be at a constant zenith, which would deprive the Earth not only of sunrises and sunsets, but life itself on the planet would be impossible.

Sunset and Sunrise

Sunset and sunrise are the periods of time when the upper edge of the Sun is at the same level with the horizon line. The trajectory of the passage of the heavenly body differs depending on from what point on the planet and at what time of the year to observe it. At the equator, the Sun rises perpendicular to the horizon and sets also perpendicular, regardless of the season.

Where does the sun rise?

Most people know that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, this is nothing more than a generalization. In fact, this happens only 2 days a year - during the spring and on other days the Sun rises from north to south. Every day, the points at which the sunset and sunrise occur move slightly. During the day, it rises to the maximum to the northeast. Every day after that, the luminary rises a little to the south. On the autumnal equinox, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Since ancient times, people have tracked the growth and parameters of sunrise and sunset points in great detail. Thus, in ancient times, it was possible to navigate in time with the help of jagged peaks of mountains along the horizon line or with the help of standing stones, built in a special way.

End and beginning of daylight

Sunset and Sunrise are the beginning and end points. It is important to note that both of these phenomena are only brief moments. Twilight is the time range during which day becomes night or vice versa. Morning twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise, and evening twilight is the time between sunset and sunset. The duration of twilight actually depends on the location on the planet, as well as on the specific date.

For example, in the Arctic and Antarctic latitudes, it is never completely dark on a winter night. Sunrise is the moment when the upper edge of the Sun becomes visible above the eastern horizon in the morning. Sunset is the moment when the trailing edge of the Sun ceases to be visible and disappears below the western horizon in the evening.

day length

And with it, the time of sunset and sunrise is not a constant value. In the northern hemisphere, the days are longer in summer and the days become shorter in winter. The length of daytime also decreases or increases depending on the geographical latitude, the higher it is, the shorter the days. As a rule, this is winter time. An interesting fact is that due to the decrease in speed, the rotations become slightly longer over time. Roughly 100 years ago, the average day was 1.7 milliseconds shorter than today.

Sunrise - sunset. What is the external difference?

Sunrises and sunsets look different. Can these differences be visually ascertained by watching the sun rise above the horizon without knowing whether the day is ending or just beginning? So, is there an objective way to tell these two similar phenomena apart? All twilight periods of time are symmetrical. This means that there is not much optical difference between them.

However, two human factors deny their identity. Closer to sunset, the eyes, adapted to daylight, begin to get tired. Gradually the light fades, the sky darkens, and the person cannot adapt as quickly as all this is happening. Some shades cannot be fully perceived. At dawn, the situation is quite different.

The darkness of the night adapts the vision to very sharp and clear vision, and every subtle change in color in the sky is immediately evident. Thus, more colors are perceived at dawn than at dusk. It is this time, due to limited visibility, that is the most dangerous for drivers, so there is a need for artificial lighting. With the onset of dusk, it is imperative to turn on the headlights.

Sometimes, for example, when going on a hike, it is extremely important for us to know the time of sunrise and sunset. I would like to find myself in civilized places before dark. But how do we calculate when to leave and when to return? Easily! Look at the tear-off calendar. There, for each day, it is indicated to the minute when the sun rises and when it sets. Add to this another half an hour or an hour (depending on the distance from the equator and clear/cloudy weather) for dawn and evening twilight, and you get the length of daylight hours.

However, in this advice - to be guided by a tear-off calendar - there is one but. So we will know the time of sunrise and sunset, for example, in Moscow, but by no means in our area. And here we must move from the lyrics to the dry language of numbers. Ready? Then read our article and calculate the daylight hours for your area.

What geographic parameters are involved in the calculation

In relation to our star, the planet Earth rotates at a speed of fifteen degrees per hour. The Sun occupies its highest position in the sky at noon. And in this paragraph, one should take into account the correction for the possible summer time, when the chronometers of many countries willfully (that is, without coordination with the Cosmos) are moved forward an hour. Then the sun is at its zenith at one o'clock in the afternoon. But that's not all.

There is also the concept of "true noon". The earth is divided into time zones. Each of them is quite a vast territory. Therefore, in settlements located to the east or west of the hour meridian (where noon occurs exactly at 12:00), it is observed earlier or later. Thus, it is necessary to establish the longitude at which the settlement of interest to us is located. To determine the sunrise / sunset, we need to know the latitude of the area relative to the equator.

Magic dates of the equinox and solstice

Twice a year, the Earth rotates to our luminary at an angle of 90 degrees. This year it will happen on March 19 and September 22. These days, anywhere in the world, sunrise and sunset will occur at six o'clock (morning and evening, respectively). That's when it's convenient to calculate local time! In the north, dusk and dawn play in the sky for a long time. In tropical latitudes, the sun dives quickly below the horizon. But this is not the main thing. After all, daylight hours can optically become smaller due to simple cloudiness.

Two more dates should be remembered: the winter and summer solstices. For the northern hemisphere, December 21 is the day with the longest night. And on June 21, the sun is in no hurry to leave the sky. On this date, night does not fall on the Arctic Circle, and on December 21 it does not change into daylight. But when does dawn come on the summer and winter solstices in the area of ​​interest to us?

Sunrise and sunset in Moscow

Consider the algorithm for calculating the length of daylight hours and, consequently, the time of dawn and sunset using the example of the capital. On the nineteenth of March in Moscow, however, as elsewhere on the globe, it will be light at twelve o'clock. But since the metropolis is located just east of the UTC +3 hour meridian, the sun will rise there not at 6:00, but at 6:38. And it will also come in at 18:38. Daylight continues to increase, reaching its climax at seventeen hours and twenty-five minutes on June 20th. We can easily determine the sunrise and sunset for Moscow on this date. Noon there comes at 12:38. Then it turns out that the sun rises at 3:48 and sets at 21:13. Do you already know the deviation from the hour meridian in your locality? When is true noon there?

Sunrise and sunset at the selected location

The dates of the equinox and solstice can be the starting data for calculations. On March 20, both at the Arctic Circle and at the equator, the sun will rise at 6:00, and sunset will be at 18:00. Here we take into account the deviation from the hour meridian. After the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight begins to grow, reaching its apogee on June 21. On the Arctic Circle, sunrise and sunset occur at 0:00. Therefore, a day of light lasts twenty-four hours. And at the equator, everything remains the same: dawn at 6:00, sunset at 18:00. The higher the latitude, the longer the daylight hours grow, the earlier the sun rises and the later it sets.

Knowing the geographical coordinates of the point, it is easy to calculate the time of sunrise and sunset. We derive the formula. Find out how many days are between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Ninety-two days. We also know how many hours a day of light lasts on the summer solstice. Let's say eighteen hours. 18 - 12 = 6. Divide six hours by 92. The result is how many minutes each light day grows. We divide it into two. This is how much earlier the sun rises compared to yesterday.