Dictionary term
Sunset
Direct answer
Sunset is the defined instant when the Sun's upper limb disappears below the observer's horizon under standard assumptions for refraction.
Sunset is the calculated disappearance of the Sun's upper edge below the horizon.
Sunset is the calculated disappearance of the Sun's upper edge below the horizon.
A Sun–Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Sunset with local coordinates, date, time zone, and twilight times to describe the whole evening light window.
- Do not use it for
- Do not call sunset the start of complete night or ignore terrain and atmospheric variability.
- Reference category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related terms
- Astronomical Season, Meteorological Season, Equinox, Solstice
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The story behind Sunset
Almanacs have long tabulated sunset for work, worship, navigation, lighting, and seasonal planning.
Sunset in spiritual tradition
Sunset makes visible the gradual handoff between daylight and night.
Sunset: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual astronomy, calendar, Earth-science, cultural, or historical reference. It can support wonder at the created order without becoming a claim of fate, worship, or private revelation.
Sunset in numerology
Sunset 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 Sunset matters
Sunset begins the evening transition but is not the same as full darkness; civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight follow.
Sunset at work: an example
A planet may become visible during twilight well after the listed sunset time.
Where interpretation stops
Sunset 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 - Definitions used by USNO for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and twilight.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Complete Sun and Moon Data - Authoritative astronomical data services for positions, phases, and rise and set events.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Also appears in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-15
Find local sunset and twilight
Sunset in a book is one thing; Sunset in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
Speak with the OracleRelated terms
More in Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Anticrepuscular Rays
- Circumzenithal Arc
- Day Length
- Inferior Mirage
- Nautical Dawn
- Polar Day
- Solar Insolation
Common questions
What is Sunset?
Sunset is the defined instant when the Sun's upper limb disappears below the observer's horizon under standard assumptions for refraction.
How is Sunset used in an almanac?
Use Sunset with local coordinates, date, time zone, and twilight times to describe the whole evening light window.
What should I avoid when interpreting Sunset?
Do not call sunset the start of complete night or ignore terrain and atmospheric variability.
