Someone once told me that the darkest time of the night is right before the sun begins to rise and I was just wondering if that was really true...
2006-09-15 12:03:04 · 11 answers · asked by KaseyLaine 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The darkest hour is just before dawn.
2006-09-15 12:06:01 · answer #1 · answered by Backwoods Barbie 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
How dark the night is depends primarily on how far the Sun and Moon are below the horizon. Astronomers arbitrarily fix "Astronomical Twilight" as when the Sun is 18 degrees below the horizon (around 1 1/2 to 2 hours after sunset with strong dependence on latitude and season). The amount of additional darkening after that is quite small.
For maximum darkness, the Moon should also be well below the horizon. The other bright object in the sky contribute surprisingly little light and can be ignored. The Moon is about 3000 times brighter than Venus (the next brightest object) and about 1000 times brighter than all the visible stars together.
In the northern US in the summer, the Sun never gets to the 18 degree mark so the darkest time is when the Sun is the farthest below the horizon which is solar midnight and is around 1:00 AM during daylight savings time. Elsewhere and elsewhen, the sky is equally dark for a few hours either side of midnight.
2006-09-15 12:52:38 · answer #2 · answered by Pretzels 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope, the darkest time is halfway between sunset and sunrise when the sun is at its nadir. But the coldest time of day is just after dawn. Just after sunrise, the sun's rays are so weak that the ground is still radiating away heat.
2006-09-15 18:42:50 · answer #3 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Two hours before Sun rise. The atmosphere is calmest pertaining to infrared radiation reflecting back from the previous day while still being dark before Sun rise. When I head to work in the morning I can't do anything but look in the sky.
2006-09-15 14:28:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The darkest part of the night is halfway between sunrise and sunset (and yes, during a new moon)
2006-09-15 12:18:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi. The darkest time is midnight with a new moon.
2006-09-15 12:11:41 · answer #6 · answered by Cirric 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, the darkest time is exactly between sunset and sunrise. Usually around 1:00 A.M.
2006-09-15 12:12:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
nope. the midnight is the darkest time of the night.
2006-09-15 12:11:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The darkest hour is just before dawn
2006-09-15 12:06:13 · answer #9 · answered by bprice215 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I was told one hour before sunrise.
2006-09-15 12:13:09 · answer #10 · answered by katherine 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋