Seasons and sky
Civil Dusk
Direct answer
Civil Dusk is the evening instant when the Sun center descends to 6 degrees below the horizon.
Civil Dusk ends evening civil twilight at a -6-degree solar altitude.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related
- Civil Dawn, Nautical Dawn, Astronomical Season, Equinox
Civil Dusk ends evening civil twilight at a -6-degree solar altitude.
A Sun-Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.
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The story behind Civil Dusk
Legal and navigation practices adopted standardized twilight angles as precise almanac prediction became routine.
Why Civil Dusk matters
Civil Dusk supplies a consistent post-sunset reference for lighting, work, and public schedules.
How to read Civil Dusk
Civil Dusk applies when an operation defines darkness from the end of civil twilight.
Civil Dusk in practice: an example
Street-light or park schedules may reference Civil Dusk rather than sunset itself.
Where readings of Civil Dusk go wrong
Check the governing local definition; regulations may use fixed clock rules or a different twilight standard.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Rise, Set, and Twilight Definitions - Official definitions used for sunrise, sunset, refraction, and twilight calculations.
- NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory: Solar Calculator Glossary - NOAA definitions for solar geometry, atmospheric refraction, and civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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More in Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Diurnal Tide
- Glory
- March Equinox
- Nautical Twilight
- Season Length Asymmetry
- Tidal Datum
- Astronomical Dusk
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Common questions
What is Civil Dusk?
Civil Dusk is the evening instant when the Sun center descends to 6 degrees below the horizon.
What do people get wrong about Civil Dusk?
Check the governing local definition; regulations may use fixed clock rules or a different twilight standard.
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