Current time of sunset at your location

8:22 pm

Thirty-six days until summer!

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Rising and setting times for the Sun
Length of day Solar noon
Date Sunrise Sunset This day Difference Time Altitude Distance
(106 km)
May 17, 2008 7:15 AM 5:18 PM 10h 02m 27s − 1m 36s 12:17 PM 32.8° 151.292
May 18, 2008 7:16 AM 5:17 PM 10h 00m 53s − 1m 34s 12:17 PM 32.6° 151.322
May 19, 2008 7:17 AM 5:16 PM 9h 59m 20s − 1m 32s 12:17 PM 32.4° 151.352
May 20, 2008 7:18 AM 5:15 PM 9h 57m 49s − 1m 30s 12:17 PM 32.2° 151.382
May 21, 2008 7:18 AM 5:15 PM 9h 56m 21s − 1m 28s 12:17 PM 32.0° 151.412
May 22, 2008 7:19 AM 5:14 PM 9h 54m 55s − 1m 26s 12:17 PM 31.8° 151.441
May 23, 2008 7:20 AM 5:13 PM 9h 53m 30s − 1m 24s 12:17 PM 31.6° 151.470

Days getting shorter, huh?

I have a routine check-up at the Alfred (hospital) and the norm is that by the time I arrive home, it's night. Last Thursday events proceeded more smoothly than usual and I was hoping we'd make it home before darkness set in, alas this was not the case. Oh well, no big deal.

not a great deal of seasonal variation here in the tropics.

supposedly 9:06 pm, but it seems to be sorta light out for awhile after that.

Donning my astronomy geek hat... There are actually three different definitions of twilights, all arbitrary but defined very precisely. This chart is looking west after the sun has set as is some distance below the horizon:



The period when the depression is between zero and six degrees is civil twilight. The period when the depression is between six and twelve degrees is nautical twilight. The period when the depression is between twelve and eighteen degrees is astronomical twilight.

You can have the times calculated for your location http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php">here.

Fun stuff.

I know about different sorts of twilight, but I'm not sure if I have a precise understanding of it in terms of sunset. When the time of sunset is given for a place, is it determined based on where one sees the sunset, or where one would see the sunset if they were at sea level? I know that twilight is much longer in places like Denver that have mountains to the west, because the sun goes behind the mountains long before it becomes dark. It's not as mountainous here, but I think that may be some of what's going on. I was in Wales a few weeks ago, and twilight seemed to be an incredibly long period of time. It was strange, but really beautiful.

is calculated assuming a flat horizon. Local mountains might obscure the sun directly, but there's still penty of light as you know.

That's a gorgeous pic, my dear pokerfan...