Editing Morning

{{Short description|Period of time from sunrise to noon}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Morning, just after sunrise, Namibia.jpg|thumb|Morning on a [[farm]] in [[Namibia]], just after [[sunrise]]]]
'''Morning''' is either the period from [[sunrise]] to [[noon]], or the period from [[midnight]] to noon.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of MORNING |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morning |website=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=28 April 2025 |language=en |date=26 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MORNING Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/morning |website=[[Dictionary.com]] |access-date=28 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref> In the first definition it is preceded by the [[twilight]] period of [[dawn]], and there are no exact times for when morning begins (also true of [[evening]] and [[night]]) because it can vary according to one's [[latitude]], and the hours of [[daylight]] at each time of year.<ref>[http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/parts-of-the-day-early-morning-late-morning-etc Learner's Dictionary]</ref> However, morning strictly ends at noon, when [[afternoon]] starts.

Morning precedes afternoon, evening, and night in the sequence of a [[day]]. Originally, the term referred to sunrise.<ref>[https://www.etymonline.com/word/morning Online Etymology Dictionary]</ref>

==Etymology==
The [[Modern English]] words "morning" and "tomorrow" began in [[Middle English]] as {{lang|enm|morwening}}, developing into {{lang|enm|morwen}}, then {{lang|enm|morwe}}, and eventually {{lang|enm|morrow}}. English, unlike some other languages, has separate terms for "morning" and "tomorrow", despite their common root. Other languages, like [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Scots language|Scots]] and [[German language|German]], may use a single word{{snd}}{{lang|enm|morgen}}{{snd}}to signify both "morning" and "tomorrow".<ref>[http://en.allexperts.com/q/Etymology-Meaning-Words-1474/2009/1/Origin-phrase-1.htm Origin of the phrase "Good Morning] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203212512/http://en.allexperts.com/q/Etymology-Meaning-Words-1474/2009/1/Origin-phrase-1.htm |date=2012-02-03 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=morning&searchmode=none Etymology of the word "morning"]</ref>

==Significance==
=== Cultural implications ===
{{seealso|Morning Prayer (disambiguation)|Fixed prayer times}}
Morning [[prayer]] is a common practice in several religions. The morning period includes specific phases of the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] of Christianity.

Some languages that use the time of day in [[greeting]] have a special greeting for morning, such as the English [[wikt:good morning|good morning]]. The appropriate time to use such greetings, such as whether it may be used between midnight and [[dawn]], depends on the culture's or speaker's concept of morning.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/good-morning|title=Definition of good morning {{!}} Dictionary.com|website=www.dictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> The use of ''<nowiki/>'good morning''' is ambiguous, usually depending on when the person woke up. As a general rule, the greeting is normally used from 3:00&nbsp;a.m. to around noon. 

Many people greet someone with the shortened 'morning' rather than 'good morning'. It is used as a greeting, never a farewell, unlike 'good night' which is used as the latter. To show respect, one can add the addressee's last name after the salutation: ''Good morning, Mr. Smith.''

For some, the word ''morning'' may refer to the period immediately following waking up, irrespective of the current time of day. This modern sense of ''morning'' is due largely to the worldwide spread of electricity, and the independence from natural light sources.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2996364.stm |title=Why some of us are early risers |access-date=2008-01-30 | work=BBC News | date=2003-06-17 | location=London}}</ref>

===Astronomy===
[[File:Comet ison.jpg|right|thumb|[[Comet Ison]] at dawn, with Mercury at left]]
When a star first appears in the east just prior to sunrise, it is referred to as a [[heliacal rising]].<ref>{{cite journal
 | title=Heliacal Rise Phenomena
 | last=Schaefer | first=Bradley E. | author-link=Bradley Schaefer
 | journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy Supplement
 | volume=18 | page=S19 | year=1987
 | issue=11 | doi=10.1177/002182868701801103 | bibcode=1987JHAS...18...19S
}}</ref> Despite the less favorable lighting conditions for [[optical astronomy]], dawn and morning can be useful for observing objects [[orbit]]ing close to the Sun. Morning (and evening) serves as the optimum time period 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> Venus and sometimes Mercury may be referred to as a morning star when they appear in the east prior to sunrise. 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 morning (and evening) 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]], the mornings near the [[Autumnal equinox (disambiguation)|autumnal equinox]] are a favorable time period for viewing the [[zodiacal light]].<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 }}</ref>

=== Genetics ===
For people, the morning period may be a period of enhanced or reduced energy and productivity. The ability of a person to [[wakefulness|wake up]] effectively in the morning may be influenced by a [[gene]] called "[[PER3|Period&nbsp;3]]". This gene comes in two forms, a "long" and a "short" variant. It seems to affect the person's preference for mornings or evenings. People who carry the long variant were over-represented as morning people, while the ones carrying the short variant were evening preference people.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6431971.stm Gene determines sleep patterns]</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Crepuscular]] – animals that are active primarily in the early morning and the evening
* [[Morning Glory cloud]] – a low roll cloud that typically forms in the morning

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{wikiquote-inline}}
*{{wiktionary-inline|morning}}
{{Parts of a day}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Morning| ]]
[[Category:Time in astronomy]]
[[Category:Parts of a day]]