How long does it take for the sun to set from the time it appears to touch the horizon?

Answer 1

2 minutes

Sky = 180 deg, sun traverses that in 12 hours

That is 15 deg in an hour

1 degree in 4 mins

The sun (and moon) are about half a degree, so they cover their own width in 2 minutes.

PS - Yes, I have to temper that answer, as noted by some bright people below. 2 minutes is how long it takes to disppear if it is coming vertically down, as it would in the tropics. In higher latitudes, especially in summer, the sun "attacks" the horizon at an acute angle and hence will take more than 2 minutes to disappear. Thanks to those who put me right.

A really good question.

Answer 2

That depends on your distance from the Equator and the time of year. Anybody who lives in the tropics knows that twilight is very short there. In high latitudes twilight lasts a long time. To take an extreme case, near the poles in summer, twilight lasts for months. But near the Equator, when the Sun goes directly overhead and daylight lasts about 12 hours, and near the horizon the Sun's diameter is about half a degree, it takes about 12 hours/360=2 minutes for the Sun to disappear from the time it touches the horizon.

Answer 3

There can be no definite answer to this question, because the Sun rises and sets either four minutes sooner or four minutes later each and every day. The reason for this is because of the Earth's orbit around the Sun each year in combination with the the Earth's 23.5 degree tilt upon it's axis. June 21 is generally regarded as the summer equinox ( the longest day of the year) while December 21 is the winter equinox (the shortest day of the year). So if you want an answer for your question, you have to limit it to one or two days...bcause the prior and succeeding days will be either shorter or longer, depending upon the time of the year.

Answer 4

I like nick s's answer except for the fact that he may not be counting in light refraction, see the instant that we see the sun gone it's already been out of line of sight for 4 minutes, the only reason we still saw it is because the light bent around the earth due to the atmosphere, I'm not sure exactly how everything would factor in because I'm currently half-asleep and stuffed to the gills, but I'm sure it would...

Answer 5

Your angle to the sun changes according to the season and your latitude.

Answer 6

Depends on what time of the year it is and how far you are from the equator.