Dictionary term
Nautical Twilight
Direct answer
Nautical Twilight is the interval when the Sun center lies between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon.
Nautical Twilight spans Sun altitudes from -6 to -12 degrees.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Also appears in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Nautical Twilight for navigation planning, marine operations, and observing the transition from bright to dark sky.
- Do not use it for
- Do not assume the sea horizon or stars will be visible through fog, cloud, glare, or heavy light pollution.
- Reference category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related terms
- Civil Twilight, Blue Hour, Astronomical Season, Equinox
The story behind Nautical Twilight
Mariners relied on the twilight overlap between a visible sea horizon and navigational stars for sextant sights.
Nautical Twilight in spiritual tradition
Spiritually, Nautical Twilight recalls the disciplined observation that once guided travelers across open water.
The Great Almanac frames Nautical Twilight with educational restraint. Mystical or symbolic language may be meaningful, but it should not be exaggerated into certainty, panic, or permission to ignore ordinary responsibility.
Nautical Twilight in the Bible
This is a factual calendar, astronomy, Earth-science, cultural-history, or observational reference. It can support wonder and practical planning without becoming a claim of fate, spiritual causation, or private revelation.
Nautical Twilight in numerology
Nautical Twilight is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Nautical Twilight matters
During favorable conditions the horizon and brighter stars can both be visible, historically supporting celestial navigation.
Example in a reading: Morning Nautical Twilight ends at civil dawn when the Sun rises past 6 degrees below the horizon.
Interpretive caution: Do not assume the sea horizon or stars will be visible through fog, cloud, glare, or heavy light pollution.
How Nautical Twilight is used in a reading
Use Nautical Twilight for navigation planning, marine operations, and observing the transition from bright to dark sky.
Where interpretation stops
Nautical Twilight is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
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.
The page starts with a direct definition, then separates use, example, caution, spiritual meaning, and historical context. For astrology, occult, demonology, curse, and spiritual warfare terms, the editorial rule is to explain the term without making fear-based, fatalistic, medical, legal, financial, or ritual-instruction claims.
Continue learning
Continue into the live sky, space weather, universal timing, and the wider field surrounding the current season.
Open Worldwide WatchRelated terms
These related entries help place Nautical Twilight inside a wider reference cluster instead of leaving it as a standalone keyword.
