The Sun Rises Before It Actually Rises
Sunrise is the moment the sun appears above the horizon. Because the atmosphere bends light, you see it before it is geometrically there.
Sunrise is the moment the upper edge of the sun appears above the horizon. A quiet piece of physics: the atmosphere refracts light, bending it around the curve of the earth, so the sun becomes visible while it is still geometrically below the horizon. Sunrise arrives a couple of minutes early, and sunset lingers the same amount.
- The appearance of the sun. *Sunrise is at 6.14.*
- The time of day. *Awake before sunrise.*
- Sunrise industry — a new and growing sector. *A sunrise industry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sunrise | A red sunrise. |
| Plural | sunrises | Winter sunrises. |
| Opposite | sunset | At sunset. |
| Related | dawn | First light at dawn. |
| Compound | sunrise industry | A sunrise industry. |
How it is used in a sentence
- We left before sunrise.No article.
- Sunrise times vary sharply with latitude.Far more than most people expect.
- Renewables were called a sunrise industry.Growing, as opposed to a sunset industry.
Light before and after
- Civil twilight — bright enough to see outdoors without lights
- Nautical twilight — the horizon still visible at sea
- Astronomical twilight — the last trace of sunlight in the sky
- Golden hour — the warm light shortly after sunrise
- Blue hour — the cool light just before it
A compound of *sun* and *rise*, both Old English. Astronomers define sunrise by the upper limb of the sun, not its centre, which shifts the published time.
Why does the sun look bigger at the horizon?
It is an optical illusion. Measurements show the disc is the same size; the brain judges it against foreground objects.
What is a sunrise industry?
A young sector expected to grow. The opposite, a sunset industry, is one in long-term decline.