Editing Evening

{{Short description|Period of the day}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Evening in Parambikkulam, Kerala, India.jpg|thumb|Evening in Parambikkulam, [[Kerala]], [[India]]]]
[[File:Evening view on the bay of Naples, overlooking Mount Vesuvius.jpg|thumb|View on the bay of [[Naples]], overlooking [[Mount Vesuvius]] at 7:30&nbsp;p.m. local solar (standard) time]]

'''Evening''' is the period of a [[day]] that begins at the end of [[daylight]] and overlaps with the beginning of [[night]].<ref name="oed">{{cite web |title=evening, n. |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/evening_n1 |website=www.oed.com |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=18 September 2023 |quote=The close of day, esp. the time from about 6 p.m., or sunset if earlier, to bedtime; the period between afternoon and night. |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727145652/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/evening_n1 |url-status=live }}</ref> It generally indicates the period of time when the sun is close to the horizon and comprises the periods of civil, nautical and astronomical [[twilight]]. The exact times when evening begins and ends are subjective and depend on location and time of year. It may be used colloquially to include the last waning [[daytime]] shortly before [[sunset]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/evening|title=evening – Dictionary Definition|publisher=|access-date=2018-07-18|archive-date=2023-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711012157/https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/evening|url-status=live}}</ref> 

==Etymology==
The word is derived from the [[Old English]] ''ǣfnung'', meaning 'the coming of evening, sunset, time around sunset', which originated from ''æfnian'', meaning "become evening, grow toward evening". The Old English ''æfnian'' originated from ''æfen'' (eve), which meant "the time between sunset and darkness", and was synonymous with even (Old English ''æfen''), which meant the end of the day. The use of "evening" dates from the mid 15th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/even?ref=etymonline_crossreference|title=even – Origin and meaning of even by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com|access-date=2018-07-19|archive-date=2018-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719233701/https://www.etymonline.com/word/even?ref=etymonline_crossreference|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Start time==
The ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' defines evening as varying according to daylight and lifestyle, but says that many people consider it to begin at 5 p.m.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|title=Definition of evening in English|url=https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/parts-of-the-day-early-morning-late-morning-etc|website=Britannica|publisher=[[Britannica]]|access-date=17 Sep 2023|archive-date=22 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822024715/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/parts-of-the-day-early-morning-late-morning-etc|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a social context, the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] defines evening as "the time from about 6 p.m., or sunset if earlier".<ref name="oed"/>

As such, there is no fixed consensus on when the period of evening starts.

== Astronomy ==
Despite the less favorable lighting conditions for [[optical astronomy]], evening can be useful for observing objects [[orbit]]ing close to the Sun. Evening (and morning) serves as the optimum time for viewing the [[Inferior and superior planets|inferior planets]] [[Venus]] and [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]].<ref>{{cite book
 | chapter=Recording Mercury and Venus
 | first=Peter | last=Grego | year=2008
 | title=Venus and Mercury, and How to Observe Them
 | pages=177–206 | series=Astronomers’ Observing Guides
 | publisher=Springer | location=New York, NY.
 | doi=10.1007/978-0-387-74286-1_5
| isbn=978-0-387-74285-4 }}</ref> It is a popular time to hunt for [[comet]]s, as their [[comet tail|tails]] grow more prominent as these objects draw closer to the Sun.<ref>{{cite conference
 | title=Search Programs for Comets
 | last=Marsden | first=B. G.
 | conference=Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1993: Proceedings of the 160th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held in Belgirate, Italy, June 14-18, 1993. International Astronomical Union. Symposium no. 160
 | editor1-first=Andrea | editor1-last=Milani
 | editor2-first=Michel | editor2-last=Di Martino
 | editor3-first=A. | editor3-last=Cellino
 | location=Dordrecht | publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers
 | page=1 | year=1994 | bibcode=1994IAUS..160....1M
}}</ref> The evening (and morning) twilight is used to search for [[near-Earth asteroid]]s that orbit inside the orbit of the Earth.<ref>{{cite journal
 | title=A Twilight Search for Atiras, Vatiras, and Co-orbital Asteroids: Preliminary Results
 | last1=Ye | first1=Quanzhi | last2=Masci | first2=Frank J.
 | last3=Ip | first3=Wing-Huen | last4=Prince | first4=Thomas A.
 | last5=Helou | first5=George | last6=Farnocchia | first6=Davide
 | last7=Bellm | first7=Eric | last8=Dekany | first8=Richard
 | last9=Graham | first9=Matthew J. | last10=Kulkarni | first10=Shrinivas R.
 | last11=Kupfer | first11=Thomas | last12=Mahabal | first12=Ashish
 | last13=Ngeow | first13=Chow-Choong | last14=Reiley | first14=Daniel J.
 | last15=Soumagnac | first15=Maayane T. | display-authors=1 
 | journal=The Astronomical Journal
 | volume=159 | issue=2 | id=70
 | date=February 2020 | page=70 | doi=10.3847/1538-3881/ab629c
 | arxiv=1912.06109 | bibcode=2020AJ....159...70Y
| doi-access=free }}</ref> In [[mid-latitudes]], spring evenings around the time of the [[equinox]]―that is, [[March equinox|the March one]] in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] and the [[September equinox]] to the [[southern hemisphere|south of the equator]]―are favorable for viewing the [[zodiacal light]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Byrd |first1=Deborah |last2=McClure |first2=Bruce |title=Zodiacal light: All you need to know |url=https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-zodiacal-light-or-false-dawn/ |website=EarthSky |access-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320033630/https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-zodiacal-light-or-false-dawn/ |archive-date=20 March 2023 |date=27 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title=Zodiacal Light: The Definitive Photography Guide
 | first=Antoni
 | last=Cladera
 | website=photopills.com
 | url=https://www.photopills.com/articles/zodiacal-light-photography-guide
 | access-date=2023-03-14
 | archive-date=2023-03-11
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311235641/https://www.photopills.com/articles/zodiacal-light-photography-guide
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Crepuscular]] – Animals that are active primarily in the early morning and the evening.
* [[Dusk]]
* [[Evening dress (disambiguation)]]
* [[Sunset]]
* [[Vigil|Eve of a feast]] or [[vigil]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{wikiquote-inline}}
* {{commons category-inline}}

{{Parts of a day}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Evening| ]]
[[Category:Parts of a day]]


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