Fun Fact: We Actually Have Three Sunsets Every Evening

For the most part sunsets are just a daily part of life unless we see a light show in the sky which often makes us pull out our phones to snap a photo and stare in awe.

But fun fact, did you know that there are actually three sunsets each evening? In technical terms, sunsets happen at what's called twilight according to the Time and Date website.

Twilight occurs when Earth's upper atmosphere scatters and refracts sunlight which illuminates the lower atmosphere in what sometimes turns into a myriad of colors.

Anyway, according to the Atlas Obscura website, while we consider the sunset, or twilight, as once a day, there are actually three of them.

CIVIL

This twilight time is the brightest sunset of the phases. The Sun is just below the horizon according to Time and Date, when there's still enough natural light to continue outdoor activities.  To get technical, it's when the exact moment the sun is centered exactly at the horizon thus 0 degrees below it according to Time and Date.

NAUTICAL

This twilight or the second sunset if you will is when the center of the sun is between six and 12 degrees below the horizon. According to Time and Date, the stars are filling up the sky more while it's still light enough to navigate boats at sea.

ASTRONOMICAL

This twilight is the darkest of the phases and not only happens at night as the last sunset if you will before the sun is completely gone, but it's the first stage when the sun rises again for the day. According to Time and Date, this is when the center of the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon. This is when astronomers can observe stars and galaxies most clearly for the first time.

That all said, we have three sunrises as well because what comes around goes around when predawn or daybreak, and the sunrise has its three phases of twilight in reverse order according to Atlas Obscura.