Sunset or sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the western horizon as a result of Earth's rotation.
The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment when the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon. Near to the horizon, atmospheric refraction causes the ray path of light from the Sun to be distorted to such an extent that geometrically the Sun's disk is already about one diameter below the horizon when sunset is observed.
Sunset is distinct from dusk, which is the time when the sky becomes completely dark (apart from artificial light). This occurs when the Sun is about 18 degrees below the horizon. The period between sunset and dusk is called twilight.
Locations north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle experience no sunset or sunrise on at least one day of the year, when the polar day or the polar night persists continuously for 24 hours.
Sunset creates unique atmospheric conditions such as the often intense orange and red colors of the Sun and the surrounding sky.
Soleils couchants ("Sunsets", or "Setting Suns") is a set of six poems, or a six-part poem, by Victor Hugo. The poems were written individually and grouped together later. The first of the poems was written 1828, and grouped together in 1831 in the collection Les Feuilles d'automne. According to his wife, he was inspired to write the poems by his experiences of watching the sunsets at Vanves and Montrouge with two of his friends; after nightfall, they would retire to the Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, where they would urge him to recite the verses he had composed in his head while taking in the sights.
"Sunsets" is a song released as the third single from Australian rock band Powderfinger's fifth studio album, Vulture Street. The single was released on 4 January 2004 in Australia and New Zealand.
"Sunsets" earned a mixed response from reviewers. Some reviewers praised its appeal and aggression, whilst others appreciated the power ballad elements within it. Others, however, described the song negatively as "lumbering". "Sunsets" charted moderately, reaching No. 11 on the Australian singles chart.
Vulture Street was recorded and developed over a seven-week period in Sydney, Australia. It was during this time that "Sunsets" was written and produced. Nick DiDia produced the album, as he had done on previous Powderfinger albums including Odyssey Number Five. "Sunsets" was mixed in Atlanta, Georgia, by Brendan OBrien, who had previously worked with DiDia. Fanning described the album during production stages as "a much more dry, direct rock", but also noted that "just because I rock, doesn't mean I'm made of stone". In that sense, "Sunsets" (and numerous other songs on Vulture Street) were seen as emotive, combined with the rock elements Fanning described.