Sun & moon times today, Mainz Kostheim, Hesse, Germany (2024)

FAQs

What is the Civil Twilight? ›

Civil Twilight:

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. Therefore morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, and ends at sunrise.

In December, the night in Berlin lasts almost 17 hours and the days start about 4 hours later. Who wants to look at the sunrise during these days, has to wake up early. Sunrise in Berlin starts already at 4:50 in the morning. The sunset on the other hand is currently late at 21:32 in the evening.

During the blue "hour", red light passes through space while blue light is scattered in the atmosphere, and thus reaches Earth's surface. Blue hour usually lasts about 20–96 minutes right after sunset and right before sunrise. Time of year, location, and air quality all have an influence on the exact time of blue hour.

Pedestrians no longer need a light to see where they're going but would probably want reflectors or bright clothing if they're near traffic, especially on an overcast day. Technically, the end of civil twilight coincides with sunrise.

In the northern summer the sun sets later in Europe because Europe is further north. The northern hemisphere is leaning towards the sun. In the southern summer, the sun sets later in Africa because Africa is further south.

The shortest day of the year is December 21, when it gets light at about 8:30 a.m. and is dark at around 4 p.m. Then, lots of people spend more time at home being cosy. On June 21, the sun sets at around 10 p.m. This is the longest day of the year.

Civil twilight occurs when the sun is between 0 degrees and 6 degrees below the horizon. Nautical twilight occurs when the sun is between 6 degrees and 12 degrees below the horizon. Astronomical twilight occurs when the sun is between 12 degrees and 18 degrees below the horizon.

Civil twilight is the brightest form of twilight. There is enough natural sunlight during this period that artificial light may not be required to carry out outdoor activities. Only the brightest celestial objects can be observed by the naked eye during this time.

This time of the day is also perfect for nature landscape photography because of the different shades of the sky and color saturation. Because the blue hour occurs during civil twilight, it can also be a good time for Moon photography.

There are three established and widely accepted subcategories of twilight: civil twilight (nearest the horizon), nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight (farthest from the horizon).