Sunset

Photo Credit: ISS Crew, Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Lab, JSC, NASA.

An image from the ISS taken from an altitude of 211 nautical miles (for the geeks: 1 nautical mile is the angular distance of 1 minute of arc on the earth's surface. As this distance differs slightly due to latitude, it has been standardized to 1852 meters). Notice that there are no sudden sharp boundaries between darkness and light, this shadow transition is called as the terminator (no relation to the governator), and this diffuse light is the twilight that we experience in early mornings and evenings.

I have often wondered (especially when I am driving to ski resorts - the only times I see the sun break out) if early mornings have the same amount of light as the exact time in the evenings when the sun rays chart out the exact same angle but from the opposite side. I guess that is hard to judge, simply because with the change in angle of light, things appear totally different, plus the curvature of the earth and the natural dips and bumps destroy a sense of perspective.

Whatever! Nothing detracts from the setting or rising of the sun, regardless of what your angle of perspective.