Sunset
Updated October 15, 2026.
Sunset is the moment the upper edge of the sun drops below a level horizon. The same refraction that makes sunrise a little early makes sunset a little late. The center of the sun is already down when the published sunset arrives. Dusk is later still: the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and the sky has lost the direct disc.
On the page, sunset falls inside the evening golden hour. The order after solar noon is evening golden hour, sunset, evening blue hour, dusk, the end of nautical twilight, and last light. If you are timing a photograph or a last cast, sunset is the sharp mark and dusk is the end of useful civil light.
Evening tides
The same two-hour test used at sunrise is used at sunset. A high or a low within two hours of sunset is marked in the five-day note. Evening trips have a practical edge and a practical limit. You can see the turn coming in the golden hour, and you need a light plan for the run home after dusk. The clock on the page is the station's clock. Give yourself the nautical twilight and last light lines if you will still be out after the sun is gone.
Weather moves the moment you actually lose the sun. A sea fog can erase it half an hour early. The published time does not know about the fog. The forecast on the station page is the place to check that.