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twilight
twilight period between sunset and total darkness or between total darkness and sunrise. Total darkness does not occur immediately when the sun sinks below the horizon because light from the sun that strikes the atmosphere is scattered (both by the air itself and by suspended matter, e.g., dust and smoke). Civil twilight ends when the center of the sun is 6° below the horizon. Although it is still not very dark, it is necessary to use artificial light to carry out most activities. Nautical twilight ends when the sun's center is 12° below the horizon; at about this time the light is too dim for the user of a sextant to see a sharp horizon. Astronomical twilight ends when the sun's center is 18° below the horizon; by this time even the faintest stars overhead can be seen. (Similar definitions apply to morning twilight.) During twilight, Venus or Mercury is often seen as the evening star or morning star. The length of twilight depends on latitude and the time of year. Twilight is generally shorter at the equator, where the sun's path toward the horizon is more nearly vertical than at higher latitudes; typically, astronomical twilight may last for 1 hr at the equator and 1 1/2 hr in New York City. |
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"twilight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "twilight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-twilight.html "twilight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-twilight.html |
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twilight
twi·light / ˈtwīˌlīt/ • n. the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere. ∎ the period of the evening during which this takes place, between daylight and darkness: a pleasant walk in the woods at twilight. ∎ [in sing.] fig. a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline: he was in the twilight of his career. |
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"twilight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "twilight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-twilight.html "twilight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-twilight.html |
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twilight
twilight The period before sunrise and after sunset during which the sky is not completely dark. Three different periods of twilight are defined according to how far the Sun is below the horizon. During civil twilight, the centre of the Sun is less than 6 ° below the horizon; during nautical twilight, the centre of the Sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon; and during astronomical twilight the centre of the Sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon.
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"twilight." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "twilight." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-twilight.html "twilight." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-twilight.html |
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twilight
twilight twilight of the gods in Scandinavian and Germanic mythology, the destruction of the gods and the world in a final conflict with the powers of evil, Ragnarök, Götterdammerung; the phrase is first recorded in English in Thomas Gray's note to his Descent of Odin (1768).
twilight zone a situation or conceptual area that is characterized by being undefined, intermediate, or mysterious. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "twilight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "twilight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-twilight.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "twilight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-twilight.html |
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twilight
twilight the periods of incomplete darkness following sunset and preceding sunrise. Twilight is designated as civil, nautical, or astronomical, as the darker limit occurs when the center of the sun is 6 degrees, 12 degrees, or 18 degrees, respectively, below the celestial horizon.
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"twilight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "twilight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-twilight.html "twilight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-twilight.html |
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twilight
twilight Period of half-light caused by scattering and reflection of sunlight in the upper atmosphere at a time when the Sun is some degrees below the horizon.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "twilight." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "twilight." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-twilight.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "twilight." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-twilight.html |
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twilight
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T. F. HOAD. "twilight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "twilight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-twilight.html T. F. HOAD. "twilight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-twilight.html |
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twilight
twilight
•halite • candlelight • fanlight
•lamplight • gaslight • flashlight
•starlight • headlight • penlight
•daylight • tail light
•Peelite, pelite
•street light • phyllite • rubellite
•Carmelite • proselyte • Monothelite
•highlight, skylight, stylite, twilight
•sidelight • limelight • night light
•spotlight • torchlight • lowlight
•cryolite • microlight • moonlight
•cellulite • floodlight • sunlight
•rushlight • Pre-Raphaelite • firelight
•acolyte • Bakelite • Armalite
•Ishmaelite • phonolite • cosmopolite
•electrolyte • Israelite • corallite
•heteroclite • chrysolite • socialite
•satellite • tantalite • overflight
•pearlite, perlite
•searchlight
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"twilight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "twilight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-twilight.html "twilight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-twilight.html |
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