visionary
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In the Hebrew mindset, evening twilight is understood as a transitional period between day and night. It is currently understood that it is evening twilight as long as two stars of medium magnitude are visible, but it is night upon the appearance of a third star of medium magnitude. In ancient times, some understood that night begins in a moment in time which is impossible to determine called the twinkling of an eye.
There is also a "twinkling" that happens just at the moment of sunset.. it is a green flash.. but I could not find anything in scripture to use it as a reference to that moment... If you're watching the Sun dip down on the horizon you might see a green dot appear just above the Sun for just a second.
Green Flash Sunset
Green flashes can occur at sunrise or sunset, and to see one, you need to have an unobstructed view to the horizon. They occur because the light from the Sun is refracted or bent as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, following the curvature of the Earth. Higher frequency light (bluer light) is bent more than lower frequency light. This is happening all the time, but we see all the colors of the light spectrum at the same time. But when the Sun is right at the horizon, the redder hues of the color spectrum are blocked by the horizon of the Earth, while the higher frequency wavelengths are still following the curve of the Earth. While the redder light is blocked, the green and blue light is still visible, so we see the green flash.
This is interesting, as Paul prophesied that the righteous would be resurrected in the twinkling of an eye.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a secret; We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Paul's use of the phrase the twinkling of an eye aligns perfectly with the ancient understanding. The exact moment night begins therefore remains a little mysterious in Hebraic thought. In contrast, the modern world subdivides evening twilight into three definitive subcategories.
Civil twilight
Evening civil twilight begins at sunset and ends when the center of the sun is 6° below the horizon.
Nautical twilight
Nautical twilight is when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon where navigation via the horizon at sea is not possible.
Astronomical twilight
Astronomical twilight is when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon where the sky is dark enough for astronomical observations. Morning civil twilight begins when the center of the sun is 6° below the horizon and ends at sunrise.
There is also a "twinkling" that happens just at the moment of sunset.. it is a green flash.. but I could not find anything in scripture to use it as a reference to that moment... If you're watching the Sun dip down on the horizon you might see a green dot appear just above the Sun for just a second.
Green Flash Sunset
Green flashes can occur at sunrise or sunset, and to see one, you need to have an unobstructed view to the horizon. They occur because the light from the Sun is refracted or bent as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, following the curvature of the Earth. Higher frequency light (bluer light) is bent more than lower frequency light. This is happening all the time, but we see all the colors of the light spectrum at the same time. But when the Sun is right at the horizon, the redder hues of the color spectrum are blocked by the horizon of the Earth, while the higher frequency wavelengths are still following the curve of the Earth. While the redder light is blocked, the green and blue light is still visible, so we see the green flash.
This is interesting, as Paul prophesied that the righteous would be resurrected in the twinkling of an eye.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a secret; We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Paul's use of the phrase the twinkling of an eye aligns perfectly with the ancient understanding. The exact moment night begins therefore remains a little mysterious in Hebraic thought. In contrast, the modern world subdivides evening twilight into three definitive subcategories.
Civil twilight
Evening civil twilight begins at sunset and ends when the center of the sun is 6° below the horizon.
Nautical twilight
Nautical twilight is when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon where navigation via the horizon at sea is not possible.
Astronomical twilight
Astronomical twilight is when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon where the sky is dark enough for astronomical observations. Morning civil twilight begins when the center of the sun is 6° below the horizon and ends at sunrise.
