What is the difference between dusk and sunset

Dawn occurs before sunrise, before the top of the Sun reaches the horizon. Dusk occurs after sunset, once the top of the Sun has passed the horizon.

Twilight is the name given to the period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk, when light is still visible in the sky due to sunlight scattering off the atmosphere. It can also be separated in astronomical, nautical and civil sections by how far below the horizon the Sun is. In order to understand the difference between dusk and twilight, it is important to understand a few important terms with regard to the observed movement of the sun in relation to the earth.

Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise and between sunset and dusk, during which light is scattered indirectly from the sun to illuminate an area.

Dusk and twilight are different concepts, though they are closely related with regard to how the sun appears to move throughout the sky. Even though twilight is commonly associated with sunset and dusk, it actually occurs twice each day. In the morning, dawn is the moment in which the sun begins to illuminate the sky and twilight is the period when sunlight is scattered by the atmosphere to provide indirect lighting.

But what is the difference between them? I noticed that these two terms can often get confused, so I spent some time learning all that I could about them and the main differences between the two. I will be sharing all that I found here today. So what is the difference between sunset vs dusk? Dusk is period of time, whereas sunset is an event that occurs just before this time. In other words, dusk is a process whereby day becomes night and sunset is the specific point that the sun drops below the horizon and out of view.

Let us now take a closer look at both sunset and dusk in further detail, before moving onto some other similarly related questions you may have around the close of day.