People's preferred lighting direction is not directly overhead, but rather shifted to the left, with a strong correlation between handedness and this preference.

Where is the sun?

The sky is dark at night due to the sun setting and the earth being in the shadow of the sun, but the question has puzzled astronomers for centuries.

Darkness at Night: A Riddle of the Universe

The rays of light seen after sunset are due to the shadows of cumuli in the western horizon, and cannot be attributed to hills or hill shadows.

Shadows after Sunset

Sun columns at night, like meridians on a globe, may be due to reflection or electrical phenomena, possibly affecting the upper strata of the atmosphere.

Sun Columns at Night

Celestial polarization patterns during twilight are a wide band stretching perpendicular to the hidden Sun, with typical degrees of polarization near 80% at wavelengths >600 nm, and typically appear 1 hour before local sunrise or disappear 1 hour after local sunset.

Celestial polarization patterns during twilight.

This phenomenon, using parabolic reflectors on the moon or artificial satellites, can provide sunlight even during night, reducing power consumption and dependence on nature for solar power generation.

Sun at the night

African honey bees can accurately infer the actual azimuthal position of the sun at night, despite the sun's azimuthal path moving backwards near the equator.

Night‐time sun‐compass behaviour of honey bees at the equator

The earth rotates on its axis every 24 h, with the result that any position on the earth's surface alternately faces toward or away from the sun—day and night. That the metabolism, physiology, and behavior of most organisms changes profoundly between day and night is obvious to even the most

Plant Circadian Rhythms

This phenomenon is known as "nocturnal twilight" and occurs when the sun has set or is about to rise, creating a dazzling visual display in the sky.

Night-Shining Clouds

The arcs and rings of dawn and dusk are natural phenomena that define the boundary between day and night, with their visibility enhanced by clouds and atmospheric particles.

The bows and rings of dawn and dusk

The Sun's position in the sky changes with time and the observer's geographic coordinates, affecting daylight duration, maximum and minimum altitudes, and sunrise and sunset directions.

The Sun’s position in the sky

Solar minimum in 2018 led to short-time variations in night sky brightness, likely due to airglow events above the mesosphere.

Natural Night Sky Brightness during Solar Minimum

The rising and setting Sun's angular departure on the horizon can be visualized using simple tools, making it a valuable resource for teaching introductory physics and astronomy courses.

Whither Does the Sun Rove

Earthlight is caused by atmospheric phenomena such as wind waves, which can produce bright nights and nocturnal Sun.

Bright sky at night

The natural night sky brightness changes in 2018 were linked to space weather conditions, such as geomagnetic activity, increased solar wind speed, and solar proton/electron fluence events, potentially allowing for predictions of increased brightness days in advance.

Impact of Space Weather on the Natural Night Sky

The light of the sun can break through the thick place, illuminating our days and showing us the way to peace, one foot at a time.

The Way of Peace

Sundowning" is a term used to describe agitation caused by darkness, but its precise definition, who it affects, when it occurs, and why it occurs remain unclear.

What Is Sundowning?

Dark Sky Parks and Dark Sky Reserves are becoming a stargazers' vacation bucket-list, offering clearer views of the night sky in rural areas.

Finding Dark Skies

The dark matter density at the Sun's location is 0:43(11)(10) GeV/cm3 using the local equation of centrifugal equilibrium, with uncertainties due to the slope of the circular-velocity at the Sun location and the ratio between this radius and the stellar exponential thin disk length scale.

The dark matter density at the Sun’s location

These studies suggest the sun sets and the Earth is in the shadow of the sun at night.