How Long After Sunset Does It Get Dark? Twilight Times

It gets dark about 20 to 40 minutes after sunset in most mid-latitude places. That is when civil twilight ends and outdoor tasks start to need artificial light. Full darkness, when astronomical night begins, takes longer: about 70 to 75 minutes near the equator and roughly 90 to 130 minutes in New York, depending on the season. Farther north or south, summer twilight can last all night.

The time you need depends on what you are doing. For an evening walk, check civil dusk. For faint stars or Milky Way photography, check the end of astronomical twilight, along with moonlight and light pollution. Find your location’s sunset and twilight times to get your local clock times.

How Long After Sunset Does It Get Dark Where You Are?

Here is the difference between the end of usable daylight and astronomical night near the March equinox. All intervals are measured from sunset.

Location	Civil dusk	Nautical dusk	Astronomical night
Singapore (1.4 degrees N)	21 min	45 min	69 min
Miami (25.8 degrees N)	23 min	50 min	77 min
New York (40.7 degrees N)	27 min	59 min	92 min
London (51.5 degrees N)	33 min	73 min	114 min
Anchorage (61.2 degrees N)	43 min	96 min	154 min

These are rounded calculations for March 20, 2026, at sea level with an unobstructed horizon. They describe the sun’s position; clouds, nearby terrain, and artificial lights change how dark it looks.

For example, if sunset is at 7:00 p.m. in New York near the equinox, civil dusk is around 7:27 p.m. and astronomical night around 8:32 p.m. Those are two useful answers to “when does it get dark,” separated by more than an hour.

Sunset, Twilight, and Darkness Are Different

Sunset is the moment the sun’s upper edge disappears below a level horizon. Standard calculations include the sun’s apparent size and atmospheric refraction, which bends its light upward. The sun’s geometric center is then about 0.83 degrees below the horizon.

After sunset, sunlight scattered through the atmosphere keeps the sky lit. The National Weather Service defines three twilight stages, using the depth of the sun’s center below the horizon:

Stage	Sun’s position	What you can usually see in clear conditions
Civil twilight	Sunset until 6 degrees below	Enough light for many outdoor activities; bright planets and stars appear.
Nautical twilight	6 to 12 degrees below	More stars, with the sea horizon still visible under suitable conditions.
Astronomical twilight	12 to 18 degrees below	The sky may look dark already, though remaining sunlight affects faint objects.

Astronomical night begins after the sun passes 18 degrees below the horizon. That is the standard boundary for the end of twilight, rather than a promise of a completely black sky. The moon and city lights can still brighten it.

The Milky Way over Acadia National Park, Maine. A dark location and little moonlight help reveal its dust lanes after astronomical twilight ends.

Our sunset vs dusk guide explains why a single time labeled “dusk” normally refers to civil dusk, earlier than astronomical night.

Why It Gets Dark Later in Summer

Latitude and season change the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon. Near the equator its path is steep, so twilight is short. At higher latitudes it crosses at a shallower angle and takes longer to reach the twilight boundaries.

The summer difference is large even in places that still get a dark night. These are minutes from sunset to the end of astronomical twilight:

Location	March equinox	June solstice	December solstice
Singapore	69	75	75
Miami	77	90	82
New York	92	127	99
London	114	No astronomical night	124
Anchorage	154	No astronomical night	176

Calculated for March 20, June 21, and December 21, 2026, using the same sea-level assumptions. “No astronomical night” means the sun never reaches 18 degrees below the horizon that night. The evening still becomes dimmer.

New York’s summer twilight is about 28 minutes longer than its winter twilight. Both solstices have longer twilight than the March equinox in these examples. A shorter winter day does not automatically mean the fastest fade after sunset.

Sunset in Branson, Missouri. The clock time of sunset and the length of twilight change separately through the year.

Around the summer solstice, places poleward of about 48.6 degrees latitude have no astronomical night. Above about 60.6 degrees, even civil twilight can last all night. The same pattern occurs in the Southern Hemisphere around the December solstice.

What Changes How Dark It Looks?

The U.S. Naval Observatory cautions that actual twilight visibility depends on atmospheric conditions and the horizon. A trail under trees can become hard to see well before civil dusk, while an open beach stays easier to navigate.

Clouds may make the ground darker by blocking remaining natural light. Over a city, they can reflect artificial light back down. Moonlight matters too: a bright moon can wash out faint stars even after astronomical night begins.

A western ridge can hide the sun before the published sunset time. An elevated viewpoint with a distant, lower horizon can let you see it longer. These effects change your view of sunset; calculators also differ in how they apply elevation corrections to twilight. The tables above use zero elevation so the comparison is consistent. Read more about elevation and sunset times.

Finding Your Local Darkness Time

Open the sunrise and sunset calculator and search for your city. The today and tomorrow cards show sunset and civil dusk. Today’s daylight timeline separates sunset, dusk, nautical dusk, and night; the start of night is labeled “Last light.” The monthly calendar lets you look up sunset and civil dusk for other dates.

For a walk or outdoor work, use civil dusk as a planning reference and allow for shade and weather. For stargazing, use the beginning of night and check the moon. For photography, the blue hour window usually falls late in civil twilight; it lasts much less than an hour in many places.

Civil dusk is a better guide than adding a fixed 30 minutes to sunset. That shortcut is close in New York, but June civil twilight lasts about 48 minutes in London and does not end at all in Anchorage near midsummer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it still light 30 minutes after sunset?

Often, but it depends on the place and season. Near the equator, civil twilight has already ended. In New York, 30 minutes is near civil dusk. In London in June, about 18 minutes of civil twilight remain. Clouds and shade can make your surroundings darker sooner.

How long after sunset is it fully dark?

For astronomy, use the end of astronomical twilight. It comes about 70 to 75 minutes after sunset near the equator, 92 to 127 minutes in New York, and sometimes much later at higher latitudes. A moonlit or brightly lit sky can still look bright afterward.

How long after sunset does it get dark in the UK?

In London, civil dusk is about 33 minutes after sunset near the March equinox, 48 minutes near the June solstice, and 40 minutes near the December solstice. Astronomical night starts about 114 minutes after sunset in March and 124 minutes in December. In 2026, the sea-level calculation gives no astronomical night from roughly May 23 through July 20. Northern Scotland’s twilight season lasts longer.

Does it get dark faster in winter?

Compared with summer, usually yes at middle northern latitudes. New York reaches astronomical night about 99 minutes after sunset near the December solstice, versus 127 minutes in June. Near the equinoxes the wait is shorter still, about 92 minutes in March.

Why is the sky still bright after sunset?

Sunlight still reaches parts of the atmosphere above you after the sun disappears from your horizon. That light scatters toward the ground during twilight. At high latitudes in summer, the sun can stay close enough below the horizon to sustain twilight until morning.