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Civil Twilight "Civil twilight" is the name often used by navigators for the time of day that is formally called "the end of the civil twilight period." It is that time of evening, listed in the Nautical Almanac, when we first see the brightest stars, typically some 20 to 40 minutes after sunset depending on latitude and time of year. In the morning, this time is interpreted as when the brightest stars fade into the daylight sky, some 20 to 40 minutes before sunrise. Evening star sights are taken between civil and nautical twilight; morning sights between nautical and civil twilight. Astronomically, the zenith distance of the sun is 96° at "civil twilight." See Nautical Twilight.

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