Sunrises and sunsets – a spectacle of nature. And the best part: it’s visible to everyone on a daily basis, if one would take the time to notice it. But when does it actually get dark and when does it get light again, how do the sunrises and sunsets differ throughout the year, and what do the terms “dawn”, “dusk”, and “golden hour” mean? We’ll reveal all of this and much more here.
When are the days long, when are they short?
The times for sunrise and sunset are determined by the high latitude on the northern hemisphere. This means that the days are long in summer, while they are short in winter. The longest days are therefore in June, when the time between sunrise and sunset can already be 17 hours. In winter, on the other hand, the nights are correspondingly longer, in December, for example, a night in Paris lasts almost 17 hours. By the way, it’s exactly the opposite on the southern hemisphere, where the days are shorter in summer and longer in winter.
When does it get dark?
The sunset depends on the season and shifts slightly from day to day. In January, for example, the sun sets in Paris at 4 pm. In February, it sets at 5 pm, and in early March, just before 6 pm. This shift continues until the peak in late June, when the latest sunset in Paris occurs at around 10 pm. The exact times may vary a little, as it gets darker a bit faster in the east than in the west, but the sun also rises a little earlier in the east.
When does it get light?
The sunrise shifts antiparallel to the sunset, so when the sun sets late in the summer, it also rises early. In reality, it looks like this: in January, the sun rises in Paris at just after 8 am, in February between 7 and 8 am, and in March before 7 am. The earliest sunrise is parallel to the latest sunset at the end of June at around 4:30 am. One peculiarity is that due to the time change on the last Sunday in March, the sun rises one hour later for a short time. The same thing happens on the last Sunday in October when the sun rises one hour earlier than the previous day.
What is the equinox?
The equinox or equinoxes, also known as the day-and-night balance, refers to the two days of the year when day and night are exactly equal in length. This happens every year in March and September. This phenomenon occurs because in winter, the night is longer than the day, and in summer, the day is longer than the night. During the transition period, in spring and autumn, the equinox occurs, which by the way, takes place on the same day all over the world.
What is dawn?
Dawn is the time when it is already a little bright, but the sun has not yet risen. This happens because the sun is just behind the horizon and can already illuminate the sky. In combination with dawn, there can also be a dawn, which denotes a reddish color of the sky before or during sunrise. Under certain circumstances, the dawn can also be observed for a short time after the sun has risen, and the sky can also be colored in orange or purple.
Dawn lasts an average of about 45 minutes until the upper edge of the sun appears on the horizon. The length of the dawn varies depending on whether you are in the north or south. The length of the dawn also varies between summer and winter.
What is dusk?
Dusk is the counterpart to dawn and occurs from the point at which the last visible part of the sun has completely disappeared behind or under the horizon. Due to dusk, it is not immediately dark after sunset, but still somewhat bright. Similar to dawn, dusk also depends on the seasons in duration. In summer, dusk lasts longer than in winter, and one can say that dawn and dusk in summer last about twice as long as in spring or autumn. On average, it lasts about 45 minutes.
What is the golden hour?
The golden hour is the time when the sun emits a particularly soft, “golden” light. There is no uniform definition for the golden hour, but it can be said that the soft light of the golden hour is most likely to occur while the sun is between six degrees below and six degrees above the horizon. The golden hour thus begins with the onset of dawn.
What is the golden hour?
The golden hour, the counterpart to the golden hour in the morning, is the evening period during which the sun emits a particularly soft and beautiful light. As a definition, one could again define the range six degrees above and below the horizon in which the sun must be located for this special light. The golden hour thus begins with the setting of the sun, during which it can also take on a reddish color, which is very popular, for example, as a photo motif.
It can therefore be stated that the sun does much more than just rise and set. Sunrises and sunsets are impressive natural phenomena that everyone should have taken a close look at at least once. Especially the golden hours in the morning and evening with their colorations of the sky are something very special. Sunrises and sunsets are a natural spectacle that is taken for granted too often, even though it is a true beauty.