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How to determine the sunrise and sunset for your locality. How to predict a beautiful sunset or sunrise Astronomical sunrise

Sometimes, for example, when going on a hike, it is extremely important for us to know the time of sunrise and sunset. I would like to find myself in civilized places before dark. But how do we calculate when to leave and when to return? Easily! Look at the tear-off calendar. There, for each day, it is indicated to the minute when the sun rises and when it sets. Add to this another half an hour or an hour (depending on the distance from the equator and clear/cloudy weather) for dawn and evening twilight, and you get the length of daylight hours.

However, in this advice - to be guided by a tear-off calendar - there is one but. So we will know the time of sunrise and sunset, for example, in Moscow, but by no means in our area. And here we must move from the lyrics to the dry language of numbers. Ready? Then read our article and calculate the daylight hours for your area.

What geographic parameters are involved in the calculation

In relation to our star, the planet Earth rotates at a speed of fifteen degrees per hour. The Sun occupies its highest position in the sky at noon. And in this paragraph, one should take into account the correction for the possible summer time, when the chronometers of many countries willfully (that is, without coordination with the Cosmos) are moved forward an hour. Then the sun is at its zenith at one o'clock in the afternoon. But that's not all.

There is also the concept of "true noon". The earth is divided into time zones. Each of them is quite a vast territory. Therefore, in settlements located to the east or west of the hour meridian (where noon occurs exactly at 12:00), it is observed earlier or later. Thus, it is necessary to establish the longitude at which the settlement of interest to us is located. To determine the sunrise / sunset, we need to know the latitude of the area relative to the equator.

Magic dates of the equinox and solstice

Twice a year, the Earth rotates to our luminary at an angle of 90 degrees. This year it will happen on March 19 and September 22. These days, anywhere in the world, sunrise and sunset will occur at six o'clock (morning and evening, respectively). That's when it's convenient to calculate local time! In the north, dusk and dawn play in the sky for a long time. In tropical latitudes, the sun dives quickly below the horizon. But this is not the main thing. After all, daylight hours can optically become smaller due to simple cloudiness.

Two more dates should be remembered: the winter and summer solstices. For the northern hemisphere, December 21 is the day with the longest night. And on June 21, the sun is in no hurry to leave the sky. On this date, night does not fall on the Arctic Circle, and on December 21 it does not change into daylight. But when does dawn come on the summer and winter solstices in the area of interest to us?

Sunrise and sunset in Moscow

Consider the algorithm for calculating the length of daylight hours and, consequently, the time of dawn and sunset using the example of the capital. On the nineteenth of March in Moscow, however, as elsewhere on the globe, it will be light at twelve o'clock. But since the metropolis is located just east of the UTC +3 hour meridian, the sun will rise there not at 6:00, but at 6:38. And it will also come in at 18:38. Daylight continues to increase, reaching its climax at seventeen hours and twenty-five minutes on June 20th. We can easily determine the sunrise and sunset for Moscow on this date. Noon there comes at 12:38. Then it turns out that the sun rises at 3:48 and sets at 21:13. Do you already know the deviation from the hour meridian in your locality? When is true noon there?

Sunrise and sunset at the selected location

The dates of the equinox and solstice can be the starting data for calculations. On March 20, both at the Arctic Circle and at the equator, the sun will rise at 6:00, and sunset will be at 18:00. Here we take into account the deviation from the hour meridian. After the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight begins to grow, reaching its apogee on June 21. On the Arctic Circle, sunrise and sunset occur at 0:00. Therefore, a day of light lasts twenty-four hours. And at the equator, everything remains the same: dawn at 6:00, sunset at 18:00. The higher the latitude, the longer the daylight hours grow, the earlier the sun rises and the later it sets.

Knowing the geographical coordinates of the point, it is easy to calculate the time of sunrise and sunset. We derive the formula. Find out how many days are between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Ninety-two days. We also know how many hours a day of light lasts on the summer solstice. Let's say eighteen hours. 18 - 12 = 6. Divide six hours by 92. The result is how many minutes each light day grows. We divide it into two. This is how much earlier the sun rises compared to yesterday.

The natural phenomenon, which we call sunset, is a time period when the celestial body moves towards the horizon, gradually disappearing behind it. Sunrise is the opposite process - the emergence of the solar disk from behind the horizon. Both of these phenomena are very similar to each other, the only difference is that sunsets are mostly saturated with brighter colors and unexpected play of colors, therefore they are more interesting for artists and photographers.

Consider the features of the sunset process. The lower it falls to the horizon line, the more it loses its brightness, and acquires a reddish color. A change in the color of a star entails a change in the entire celestial color. The sky near the Sun becomes red, yellow and orange, and on the part of the sky that is anti-solar, a pale band of light color becomes visible.

When the solar disk reaches the horizon, it turns dark red, and we can observe the bright bands of dawn that spread in all directions from it. Zarya has a complex color range, ranging from orange below to greenish blue above. Above the dawn you can see a round radiance that has no color.

At the same time, a dark shadow of the Earth rises above the opposite part of the horizon line, it is separated from the light part of the sky by a strip of pink-orange color, which is called the Belt of Venus.

This phenomenon can be observed anywhere on our planet, a prerequisite is a clear sky. The color of the Belt is due to the fact that the rays of the setting sun are scattered, which have an orange-red color.

The sun, which is sinking lower and lower below the horizon, colors the sky in an intense purple color. This phenomenon did not go unnoticed by scientists and was called Purple Light.

This natural phenomenon is most noticeable when the location of the sun is 5 degrees below the horizon. Purple light makes the sky grand and infinitely beautiful. Everything is painted in scarlet, purple, violet, and from this it acquires mystery and mystical outlines.

The splendor of purple gives way to the Rays of the Buddha. This natural phenomenon is characterized by fiery red tones, while rays radiate upward from the place of sunset, which are distinct light stripes.

Saying goodbye to the Earth with the Rays of Buddha, the Sun goes to a well-deserved rest. Reminds of him only a dark red stripe lying on the horizon, which is gradually fading away. Day follows night.

This example is just one of many possible ways in which a sunset could develop. This phenomenon is striking in its diversity and inconstancy, more and more new forms.

On our site you can use the calculator and calculate the time of sunrise and sunset anywhere in the world.

08.08.2015

Article text updated: 12/28/2017

About two years ago, in the middle of June, I could not sleep, so I got up at 3 am, took a tripod, a photo backpack with a camera, and left by car for 40 kilometers from Yekaterinburg to a forest swamp. I wanted to shoot a gorgeous sunrise: the bloody rays paint the mist creeping scarlet over the black water. However, the expectations turned out to be too high: the nondescript sun painted the gray sky with a barely noticeable dawn and that was it. Yes, and it got up not at all in the place where I expected, and where I wanted to build the composition. Added to my disappointment was annoyance at mosquitoes: I forgot to take repellents with me, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, which these little vampires did not fail to take advantage of. Returning home, scratching his bites, he thought about the fact that it would be nice to know some signs that would allow him to predict when the sky at dawn or at sunset would be especially beautiful.

1. Have you come to shoot the sunset? But he’s not there ... Shot on a Sony DSC-W15 soap dish

The question of how to find out in which direction the sun will shine at sunset or at dawn was solved quickly and easily. There is a great site that provides indispensable services for photographers (Suncalc.net). You see a Google map, choose a shooting point. According to the scheme, you can judge where the sunrise will happen, where the sunset will happen, how the luminary will change its position during the day. We also see when morning and evening twilight begin and end. As we know, the golden hour of photography lasts approximately half an hour at dusk and 2 hours in the morning and evening.

With how to determine whether a sunset or sunrise will be beautiful, it turned out to be more difficult. Break a bunch of Russian-language resources, I did not find the answer. And recently I came across information in the English-speaking segment of the Internet, where professional photographers share their observations. In today's article I will try to systematize what I read.

Note. I started taking pictures with a DSLR at the end of 2011. During this time, I was only a few times lucky enough to catch more or less beautiful sunrises and sunsets. More often, a heavenly extravaganza happens when there is no camera with you ...

And, unfortunately, I could not photograph beautiful landscapes. I looked in my archive for illustrations for this article - there are no decent photos. Therefore, sorry, dear site guests, the pictures will be repeated (you have seen some of them in other photography lessons), and they are not masterpieces, unfortunately.

Magnificent Sunrise and Sunset Forecast

All children at the “why-why” age ask the same question: “Why is the sky blue?” But we, as photographers seeking to photograph our masterpiece, are interested in why it turns red when the sun sets.

At dawn, light can paint the sky in all the colors of the rainbow. When the sun's rays enter the Earth's atmosphere, short wavelengths of blue are scattered in all directions, more than all other colors, making the sky blue during the daytime. But during the morning or evening dawn, due to the low position of the sun, the light travels a longer path across the sky, through a thicker layer of the atmosphere, in which short-wave colors are scattered more strongly, and only red and yellow waves, as the longest, break through this barrier.

It is safe to say that both professional photographers and beginners who are just beginning to take an interest in photography would dream of having at their disposal a magical formula that allows them to predict whether there will be a beautiful sunset tonight. I don’t have such a gift for you, but you can pay attention to some signs that can increase your chances of success.

Let's take a closer look at some of the other factors that predict a bright sky at dawn. Scottish shepherds have a saying that could be translated into Russian like this: “A scarlet sunset is a shepherd’s joy, a red sunrise is a reason to worry.” Well, that is, if the sky turns red in the evening, then there will be no rain at night, and if the dawn turns red, it will rain during the day. This folk wisdom can help us predict sunset (and sunrise) beauty if we also look at the weather forecast. Look at the red sky at dawn before a thunderstorm and at sunset after a storm. Being able to predict the weather is key to choosing the right photography conditions, so the first thing we need to do is find a good weather site or smartphone app.

Usually I use the site Gismeteo.ru, on which it is quite accurate, on an hourly basis, you can see important indicators: cloud type, temperature, humidity and wind speed.

Clouds and cloud cover

The presence of clouds is a decisive factor in predicting a dramatic sunset, because without them there is not much to see. A common misconception for photographers who want to capture a colorful sunset is that clouds form colors. In fact, the clouds serve only as a canvas on which the sunlight paints its pictures.

High and mid-level clouds are the most suitable canvas, as they reflect the light of the setting sun. Lush clouds on the horizon, most likely, will not let the sun's rays through their thickness, which will muffle the colors.

This photo was taken during the first tryout of the Samyang 14/2.8 width after purchasing it. Can .

Low clouds, such as black clouds full of rain, are also not very good helpers, as they reflect little light. If the clouds on the horizon are too low and too thick, the sun's rays won't get through. Also, you should not expect a beautiful sunset if only a few clouds are flying in the sky, or vice versa - the sky is covered with a very large number of clouds: a gorgeous photo will not work. In general, cloud cover at sunset should cover 30-70% of the sky.

4. There will be a thunderstorm ... Before sunset. Sample photo taken with Nikon D5100 and Samayng 14/2.8. HDR from three frames

We look at the sky in the afternoon and if it looks promising, we hope that the clouds will not go anywhere in the evening. Of course, no one will give guarantees, but if the wind is not strong, maybe the clouds will circle around and contribute to a beautiful sunset.

I was surprised: it turns out that there is an international atlas of clouds and there are dozens of them. Here is a brief description of the main types that can show a grand sunset:

Cirrocumulus (cirrocumulus)– look like flakes or ripples on water. Behind them, usually, always blue sky.

5. Sunset with cirrocumulus clouds. Shot on Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55 VR. Photo - HDR of three shots.

Altocumulus (altocumulus)- often look like plates or flakes, sometimes merging into a wavy, rounded mass or rolls, like small cotton balls. They are usually white or gray in color and appear after a thunderstorm.

6. An example of HDR from 3 shots taken on Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55. Different types of clouds can be present in the sky at the same time. Here, it seems to me, above are altocumulus clouds, below are cirrocumulus.

Cumulus (cumulus)- well recognizable, huge, white and fluffy, often with a flat base.

Pinnate (cirrus)-thin as a haze strands. Such clouds appear before the weather deteriorates. However, this type of cloud cover is best for capturing gorgeous sunsets.

If you type Latin names into Google Images, you can see what a particular type of cloud looks like. .

Clear air and sunset beauty

Clean air effectively scatters blue light. For this reason, one of the best times to capture a gorgeous sunset is just after a rain or hurricane. In the tropics and in the open ocean, clouds often hang over the horizon, they do not reflect bright colors well (as indicated above), but under them the atmosphere is especially transparent. It lets through pure color, which is why photographers bring back so many shots of gorgeous sunsets from vacations in tropical countries.

Humidity and sunset sky

The color of the sunset sky is also affected by the amount of air humidity. Lower values produce more saturated colors. At high humidity, the color is muted due to the water content in the atmosphere. Typically, air humidity is lower in autumn and winter than in the warm season.

How does the wind affect the beauty of sunset and dawn

This is such a factor that can help to capture a beautiful sunset or sunrise, or maybe completely destroy all the hopes of the photographer. A change in the direction of movement of air masses can lead to the formation of “ripples” and “waves”, on the crests of which the sunset light is beautifully reflected in red. In addition, as noted above, colors are more vibrant in clear, clear air, so a gentle breeze at sunset helps to clear the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the wind can also have a negative impact on the beauty of the sunset, when, for example, we saw beautiful clouds in the afternoon, and the moving atmospheric front blew them away from the sky, leaving the photographer with clear skies at sunset.

Here is another example where a good weather forecast on a home computer or smartphone app will let us know when a front will pass through the area above us.

So, to catch a beautiful sunset, you need a coincidence of the following factors:

Clouds float in the middle or high
Cloud cover covers 30 to 70 percent of the sky
transparent air
Low humidity
windless weather

And finally, when photographing a sunset, one should not forget that sometimes after sunset there is a residual glow in the sky. It happens 15-20 minutes after the star hid behind the horizon. And such a dawn can look much more beautiful than the sunset itself.

In general, all these rules for predicting sunset by weather apply to photographing dawn. But visual cues are more difficult to recognize because it will be dark at the survey point before sunrise. A good time to shoot sunrise is in autumn and winter, as during these seasons the sun rises much later than in summer and spring.

Examples of photos of sunsets taken on a cropped Nikon D90 DSLR with different lenses

As you can see, I wasn't very good at taking beautiful sunset or sunrise photos. I had to turn to colleagues for help. Let's show landscapes taken by an advanced amateur Nikon D90 SLR camera by a photographer from Moscow named Svetlana. And at the same time I will try to write a comparison of the parameters of this camera with more modern models of the Nikon D3xx, D5xx, D7xx series and an expensive camera from a competitor - Canon EOS 70D.

Just like sunset and sunrise occur every day at different times and only due to the rotation around the Sun. In another case, the celestial body would be at a constant zenith, which would deprive the Earth not only of sunrises and sunsets, but life itself on the planet would be impossible.

Sunset and Sunrise

Sunset and sunrise are the periods of time when the upper edge of the Sun is at the same level with the horizon line. The trajectory of the passage of the heavenly body differs depending on from what point on the planet and at what time of the year to observe it. At the equator, the Sun rises perpendicular to the horizon and sets also perpendicular, regardless of the season.

Where does the sun rise?

Most people know that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, this is nothing more than a generalization. In fact, this happens only 2 days a year - during the spring and on other days the Sun rises from north to south. Every day, the points at which the sunset and sunrise occur move slightly. During the day, it rises to the maximum to the northeast. Every day after that, the luminary rises a little to the south. On the autumnal equinox, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Since ancient times, people have tracked the growth and parameters of sunrise and sunset points in great detail. Thus, in ancient times, it was possible to navigate in time with the help of jagged peaks of mountains along the horizon line or with the help of standing stones built in a special way.

End and beginning of daylight

Sunset and Sunrise are the beginning and end points. It is important to note that both of these phenomena are only brief moments. Twilight is the time range during which day becomes night or vice versa. Morning twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise, and evening twilight is the time between sunset and sunset. The duration of twilight actually depends on the location on the planet, as well as on the specific date.

For example, in the Arctic and Antarctic latitudes, it is never completely dark on a winter night. Sunrise is the moment when the upper edge of the Sun becomes visible above the eastern horizon in the morning. Sunset is the moment when the trailing edge of the Sun ceases to be visible and disappears below the western horizon in the evening.

day length

And with it, the time of sunset and sunrise is not a constant value. In the northern hemisphere, the days are longer in summer and the days become shorter in winter. The length of daytime also decreases or increases depending on the geographical latitude, the higher it is, the shorter the days. As a rule, this is winter time. An interesting fact is that due to the decrease in speed, the rotations become slightly longer over time. Roughly 100 years ago, the average day was 1.7 milliseconds shorter than today.

Sunrise - sunset. What is the external difference?

Sunrises and sunsets look different. Can these differences be visually ascertained by watching the sun rise above the horizon without knowing whether the day is ending or just beginning? So, is there an objective way to tell these two similar phenomena apart? All twilight periods of time are symmetrical. This means that there is not much optical difference between them.

However, two human factors deny their identity. Closer to sunset, the eyes, adapted to daylight, begin to get tired. Gradually the light fades, the sky darkens, and the person cannot adapt as quickly as all this is happening. Some shades cannot be fully perceived. At dawn, the situation is quite different.

The darkness of the night adapts the vision to very sharp and clear vision, and every subtle change in color in the sky is immediately evident. Thus, more colors are perceived at dawn than at dusk. It is this time, due to limited visibility, that is the most dangerous for drivers, so there is a need for artificial lighting. With the onset of dusk, it is imperative to turn on the headlights.