When Is Sunset?

Sunset is the point at which the sun finally disappears over the western horizon, so that it has vanished altogether.

However, sunset can also be thought of as lasting from the point at which the sun first appears to connect with the horizon, to the point when it finally disappears.

Some say that the term "sunset" is actually an incorrect term based upon a false perception of the relationship between the earth and the sun, and that it appears to imply that the sun is moving around the earth, whereas, since the time of Galileo, we have known that it is in fact the earth which moves around the sun. But, in daily language, we all know what we mean by sunset, and it refers specifically to our view of the sun as outlined above.

The daily appearance and disappearance of the sun has played a pivotal role in the lives of humans and animals from time immemorial, and determines much of our daily routine.