View source for Night

{{short description|Period of darkness}}
{{other uses}}
{{Redirect|Night time||Night Time (disambiguation){{!}}Night Time}}
{{good article}}
{{cs1 config|mode=cs1}}<!--This will make any usage of {{Citation}} render the same as the cite xxx templates like {{Cite news}}-->
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

[[File:Savault Chapel Under Milky Way BLS.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|alt=starry sky above a brick chapel|The [[night sky]] above a French chapel with the [[Milky Way]] and stars visible, and [[light pollution]] on the [[horizon]]]]

'''Night''', or '''nighttime''', is the period of [[darkness]] when the [[Sun]] is below the [[horizon]].  [[Daylight]] illuminates one side of the Earth, leaving the other in darkness. The opposite of nighttime is [[daytime]]. [[Earth's rotation]] causes the appearance of [[sunrise]] and [[sunset]]. [[Moonlight]], [[airglow]], [[starlight]], and [[light pollution]] dimly illuminate night. The duration of day, night, and [[twilight]] varies depending on the time of year and the latitude. Night on other [[celestial bodies]] is affected by their [[Rotation period (astronomy)|rotation]] and [[orbital period]]s. The planets [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] and [[Venus]] have much longer nights than Earth. On Venus, night lasts about 58 Earth days. The [[Moon]]'s rotation is [[tidally locked]], rotating so that [[near side of the Moon|one of the sides of the Moon]] always faces Earth. Nightfall across portions of the near side of the Moon results in [[lunar phases]] visible from Earth.

Organisms respond to the changes brought by nightfall: darkness, increased humidity, and lower temperatures. Their responses include direct reactions and adjustments to [[circadian rhythm]]s governed by an internal [[Circadian clock|biological clock]]. These circadian rhythms, regulated by exposure to light and darkness, affect an organism's behavior and [[physiology]]. [[Animal]]s more active at night are called [[nocturnal]] and have adaptations for low light, including different forms of [[night vision]] and the heightening of other senses. Diurnal animals are active during the day and sleep at night; mammals, birds, and some others [[dream]] while asleep. [[Fungi]] respond directly to nightfall and increase their biomass. With some exceptions, fungi do not rely on a biological clock. [[Plant]]s store energy produced through [[photosynthesis]] as starch granules to consume at night. [[Algae]] engage in a similar process, and [[cyanobacteria]] transition from photosynthesis to nitrogen fixation after sunset. In arid environments like deserts, plants evolved to be more active at night, with many gathering [[carbon dioxide]] overnight for daytime photosynthesis. Night-blooming cacti rely on nocturnal [[pollinator]]s such as bats and moths for reproduction. [[Light pollution]] disrupts the patterns in ecosystems and is especially harmful to night-flying insects.

Historically, night has been a time of increased danger and insecurity. Many daytime [[social control]]s dissipated after sunset. Theft, fights, murders, taboo sexual activities, and accidental deaths all became more frequent due in part to reduced visibility. Despite a reduction in urban dangers, the majority of violent crime is still committed after dark. According to psychologists, the widespread [[fear of the dark|fear of the dark and the night]] stems from these dangers. The fear remains common to the present day, especially among children.

Cultures have [[List of night deities|personified night through deities]] associated with some or all of these aspects of nighttime. The folklore of many cultures contains "creatures of the night", including [[werewolves]], [[witches]], ghosts, and [[goblins]], reflecting societal fears and anxieties. The introduction of artificial lighting extended daytime activities. Major European cities hung lanterns housing candles and oil lamps in the 1600s. Nineteenth-century [[Gas lighting|gas]] and [[electric light]]s created unprecedented illumination. The range of socially acceptable leisure activities expanded, and various industries introduced a [[night shift]]. [[Nightlife]], encompassing bars, nightclubs, and cultural venues, has become a significant part of urban culture, contributing to social and political movements.

==Etymology==
[[File:Owl and the Nightingale comparison.png|thumb|alt=manuscript lines
|Variable spellings of ''night'' in [[The Owl and the Nightingale|a Middle English poem]]:
<ul>
<li>{{lang|ang|Þu sittest a dai & fliȝst a ni[[yogh|ȝ]]<nowiki>t</nowiki>}} (top)</li>
<li>{{lang|ang|Þu sittest a day and flyhst a niht}} (bottom)</li>
<li>'You sit by day and fly by night'</li>
</ul>
]]

The word ''night'' is derived from the [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|niht}}. Both words are [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] and cognates of the German {{lang|de|nacht}}.{{sfn|Stevenson|2010|loc="Night"}} The terms belong to a family of night words present in nearly all European languages, derived from an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] word, reconstructed as {{lang|ine-x-proto|*nekwt}}.{{sfn|Ayto|1993|p=364}}{{sfn|Watkins|1985|p=44}} The original root is thought most likely to be {{lang|ine-x-proto|*nek-}}, a term relating to death.{{sfn|Watkins|1985|p=44}} According to the nineteenth-century British philologist [[Walter William Skeat]], this root meant 'to perish', 'to disappear', or 'to fail', with night being the point where light ceased and perished.{{sfn|Skeat|1888|p=393}} More recently, Roland Pooth has argued for the root term to be understood to mean 'empty' or 'naked', with night being the point where the sky is naked and empty of light.{{sfn|Pooth|2015|pp=1-7, 29}} As a result of this early origin, ''night'' shares its root with the Latin {{lang|la|nox}},{{sfn|Stevenson|2010|loc="Night"}} the root of many English terms connected to the night, such as ''equinox'' and ''nocturnal''.{{sfn|Cresswell|2021|loc="Night"}}{{sfn|Ayto|1993|p=364}}

Cognates of ''day'' are less widespread. Philologist Ernest Weekley attributed the many related night words to the early practice of measuring time in nights rather than days.{{sfn|Weekley|2012|p=986}} The term ''[[fortnight]]'', an [[Old English]] contraction of "fourteen nights", is a remnant of this ancient custom of measuring time in nights.{{sfn|Cresswell|2021|loc="Night"}}

The letters "[[Gh (digraph)|gh]]" were added to the word to represent the [[yogh]] character (Ȝ), unavailable on printing presses imported from continental Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. As English speakers ceased to pronounce the yogh, the "gh" became silent. A similar process occurred in many English words, such as ''light''.{{sfn|Hutchinson|1995|p=1638}}

==Astronomy==
A planet's rotation causes nighttime and [[daytime]]. When a place on Earth is pointed away from the Sun, that location experiences night. The Sun appears to set in the West and rise in the East due to Earth's rotation.{{sfn|Lunar Planetary Institute|n.d.}} Many celestial bodies, including the other planets in the solar system, have a form of night.{{sfn|Lunar Planetary Institute|n.d.}}{{sfn|Bolles|2024c}}

===Earth===
[[File:Earth-lighting-winter-solstice EN.png|thumb|alt=diagram, explained in section |Day and night during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere]]

The length of night on Earth varies depending on the time of year. Longer nights occur in winter, with the [[winter solstice]] being the longest.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=31}} Nights are shorter in the summer, with the [[summer solstice]] being the shortest.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=31}} Earth orbits the [[Sun]] on an axis [[Axial tilt|tilted]] 23.44 degrees.{{sfn|Dobrijevic|2022|loc="What Causes the Summer Solstice"}} Nights are longer when a [[Hemispheres of Earth|hemisphere]] is tilted away from the Sun and shorter when a hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.{{sfn|Dobrijevic|2022}} As a result, the longest night of the year for the [[Northern Hemisphere]] will be the shortest night of the year for the [[Southern Hemisphere]].{{sfn|Dobrijevic|2022}}

Night's duration varies least near the [[equator]]. The difference between the shortest and longest night increases approaching the [[geographical pole|poles]].{{sfn|UCSB|2015}} At the equator, night lasts roughly 12 hours throughout the year.{{sfn|Steiger|Bunton|1995|loc="Sunrise and Sunset"}} [[Tropics|The tropics]] have little difference in the length of day and night.{{sfn|UCSB|2015}} At the 45th parallel, the longest winter night is roughly twice as long as the shortest summer night.{{sfn|Steiger|Bunton|1995|loc="Twilight"}} Within the [[polar circle]]s, night will last the full 24 hours of the winter solstice.{{sfn|Dobrijevic|2022}} The length of this [[polar night]] increases closer to the poles. [[Utqiagvik, Alaska]], the northernmost point in the United States, experiences 65 days of polar night.{{sfn|Mulvaney|2024}} At the pole itself, polar night lasts 179 days from September to March.{{sfn|Mulvaney|2024}}

[[File:Sunrise-Sunset angle.svg|alt=diagram; follow link for details|Diagram of atmospheric refraction at sunrise and sunset|left|thumb]]

Over a year, there is more [[daytime]] than nighttime because of the Sun's size and [[atmospheric refraction]]. The Sun is not a single point.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=33}} Viewed from Earth, the Sun ranges in [[angular diameter]] from 31 to 33 [[minute and second of arc|arcminute]]s.{{sfn|Gaherty|2013}} When the center of the Sun falls to the western [[horizon]], half of the Sun will still be visible during sunset. Likewise, by the time the center of the Sun rises to the eastern horizon, half of the Sun will already be visible during sunrise.{{sfn|Katz|2021}} This shortens night by about three minutes in [[Temperate climate|temperate zones]].{{sfn|McClure|2024}} Atmospheric refraction is a larger factor.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=33}} Refraction bends sunlight over the horizon.{{sfn|McClure|2024}} On Earth, the Sun remains briefly visible after it has geometrically fallen below the horizon.{{sfn|McClure|2024}} This shortens night by about six minutes.{{sfn|McClure|2024}} Scattered, diffuse sunlight remains in the sky after sunset and into twilight.{{sfn|Shubinski|2023}}

[[File:Nile River Delta at Night.JPG|thumb|alt=space photograph showing the inhabited areas of the Nile glowing against the dark desert|The [[drainage basin]] of the [[Nile]] River and [[Nile Delta|delta]] at night]]

Twilight, the gradual transition to and from darkness when the Sun is below the horizon, has multiple stages.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=86}} "Civil" twilight occurs when the Sun is between 0° and 6° below the horizon. Nearby planets like [[Venus]] and bright stars like [[Sirius]] are visible during this period.{{sfn|Mason|1933|p=690}} "Nautical" twilight continues until the Sun is 12° below the horizon.{{sfn|Ottewell|2019}} During nautical twilight, the horizon is visible enough for navigation.{{sfn|Kher|Bikos|n.d.}} "Astronomical" twilight continues until the Sun has sunk 18° below the horizon.{{sfn|Mason|1933|p=690}}{{sfn|Shubinski|2023|loc="In twilight"}} Beyond 18°, refracted sunlight is no longer visible.{{sfn|Shubinski|2023|loc="In twilight"}} The period when the sun is 18° or more below either horizon is called astronomical night.{{sfn|Ottewell|2019}}

Similar to the duration of night itself, the duration of twilight varies according to [[latitude]].{{sfn|Shubinski|2023|loc="In twilight"}} At the equator, day quickly transitions to night, while the transition can take weeks near the poles.{{sfn|Shubinski|2023|loc="In twilight"}} The duration of twilight is longest at the summer solstice and shortest near the equinoxes.{{sfn|Greene|2003|pp=86–87}} [[Moonlight]], [[starlight]], [[airglow]], and [[light pollution]] can dimly illuminate the nighttime, with their diffuse aspects being termed [[skyglow]].{{sfn|Sokol|2023}}{{sfn|Flanders|2008|loc="Natural"}} The amount of skyglow increases each year due to artificial [[lighting]].{{sfn|Sokol|2023}}

===Other celestial bodies===
[[File:Moon Phases 2020 - Northern Hemisphere - 4K p-UaJsfkQsQ.webm|thumb|alt=animated infographic|The Moon's phases at hourly intervals throughout 2020, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere]]

Night exists on the other planets and moons in the [[Solar System]].{{sfn|Lunar Planetary Institute|n.d.}}{{sfn|Bolles|2024c}} The length of night is affected by the [[Rotation period (astronomy)|rotation period]] and [[orbital period]] of the celestial object.{{sfn|David|2022}} The [[lunar phases]] visible from Earth result from nightfall on the [[Moon]].{{sfn|Bolles|2024c|loc="The View From Home"}} The Moon has longer nights than Earth, lasting about two weeks.{{sfn|David|2022}} This is half of the synodic [[lunar month]], the time it takes the Moon to cycle through its phases.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=43}} The Moon is tidally locked to Earth; it rotates so that one side of the Moon always faces the Earth.{{sfn|Gunn|n.d.}} The side of the Moon facing away from Earth is called the [[far side of the Moon]], and the side facing Earth is called the [[near side of the Moon]]. During lunar night on the near side, Earth appears 50 times brighter than a full moon appears from Earth.{{sfn|Plait|2023}} Because the Moon has no atmosphere, there is an abrupt transition from day to night without twilight.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=84}}

[[File:MarsSunset.jpg|thumb|alt=photograph of hazy and distant sunset|Sunset on Mars]]

Night varies from planet to planet within the Solar System.<!--topic sentence--> [[Mars]]'s dusty atmosphere causes a lengthy twilight period. The refracted light ranges from purple to blue, often resulting in glowing [[noctilucent clouds]].{{sfn|Atkinson|2024}} Venus and Mercury have long nights because of their slow rotational periods.{{sfn|Planetary Society|n.d.|loc="Solar Day Length"}} The planet [[Venus]] rotates once every 243 Earth days.{{sfn|Margot|Campbell|Giorgini|Jao|2021|p=676}} Because of its unusual [[retrograde motion|retrograde]] rotation, nights last just over 58 Earth days.{{sfn|"Venus, Backwards"|n.d.}} The [[Atmosphere of Venus|dense greenhouse atmosphere]] on Venus keeps its surface hot enough to melt lead throughout the night.{{sfn|Planetary Society|n.d.|loc="Global Average Temperature"}}{{sfn|Bolles|2024b}} Its planetary wind system, driven by solar heat, reverses direction from day to night. Venus's winds flow from the equator to the poles on the day side and from the poles to the equator on the night side.{{sfn|Svedhem|Titov|Taylor|Witasse|2007|pp=629–630}}{{sfn|Gohd|2021}} On [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], the planet closest to the Sun, the temperature drops by over {{convert|1000|°F|°C|abbr=on}} after nightfall.{{sfn|Bolles|2024a}}

The day–night cycle is one consideration for [[planetary habitability]] or the possibility of [[extraterrestrial life]] on distant [[exoplanet]]s.{{sfn|Clery|2017}} In general, shorter nights result in a higher equilibrium temperature for the planet.{{sfn|Konatham|Martin-Torres|Zorzano|2020|loc="Model"}} On an Earth-like planet, longer day–night cycles may increase habitability up to a point.{{sfn|Guzewich|Lustig-Yaeger|Davis|Kopparapu|2020|loc="Introduction"}} Computer models show that longer nights would affect [[Hadley circulation]], resulting in a cooler, less cloudy planet.{{sfn|Guzewich|Lustig-Yaeger|Davis|Kopparapu|2020|loc="Simulated Climate and Atmospheric Dynamics"}} Once the rotation speed of a planet slows beyond 1/16 that of Earth, the difference in day-to-night temperature shifts increases dramatically.{{sfn|Guzewich|Lustig-Yaeger|Davis|Kopparapu|2020|loc="Introduction"}} Some exoplanets, like those of [[TRAPPIST-1]], are [[Tidal locking|tidally locked]]. Tidally locked planets have equal rotation and orbital periods, so one side experiences constant day, and the other side constant night. In these situations, astrophysicists believe that life would most likely develop in the [[Terminator (solar)|twilight zone]] between the day and night hemispheres.{{sfn|Walla|2019}}{{sfn|Lewis|2023}}

==Biology==
[[File:Gymnothorax javanicus (by night).webm|thumb|alt=underwater video|The [[giant moray]] eel is most active by night. Its brain has adapted to rely less on visual input and more on its [[sense of smell]].{{sfn|Iglesias|Dornburg|Warren|Wainwright|2018|p=17}}]]

Living organisms react directly to the darkness of night.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|p=515}} Light and darkness also affect circadian rhythms, the physical and mental changes that occur in a 24-hour cycle.{{sfn|BRAIN|2004|loc="Sleep and Circadian Rhythms"}} This daily cycle is regulated by an internal "[[Circadian clock|biological clock]]" that is adjusted by exposure to light.{{sfn|BRAIN|2004|loc="Sleep and Circadian Rhythms"}} The length and timing of nighttime depend on location and time of year.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|p=517}} Organisms that are more active at night possess adaptations to the night's dimmer light, increased humidity, and lower temperatures.{{sfn|Borges|2018|loc="Abstract"}}

===Animals===
Animals that are active primarily at night are called [[nocturnal]] and usually possess adaptations for night vision.{{sfn|Gaston|Davies|Bennie|Hopkins|2012|p=1261}} In vertebrates' eyes, two types of [[photoreceptor cell]]s sense light.{{sfn|Jacobs|2009|p=2961}} [[Cone cell]]s sense color but are ineffective in low light; [[rod cell]]s sense only brightness but remain effective in very dim light.{{sfn|Shen|2012}} The eyes of nocturnal animals have a greater percentage of rod cells.{{sfn|Jacobs|2009|p=2961}} In most mammals, rod cells contain densely packed DNA near the edge of the nucleus. For nocturnal mammals, this is reversed with the densely packed DNA in the center of the nucleus, which reduces the [[scattering]] of light.{{sfn|Cell|2009}} Some nocturnal animals have a mirror, the [[tapetum lucidum]], behind the [[retina]]. This doubles the amount of light their eyes can process.{{sfn|Greene|2003|p=147}}

[[File:Insect flights in the night in front of a spotlight HP L7869.jpg|thumb|alt=Many insects fly towards a work light.|Nocturnal insects drawn to an artificial light]]

The compound eyes of insects can see at even lower levels of light. For example, the [[Deilephila elpenor|elephant hawk moth]] can see in color, including [[ultraviolet]], with only starlight.{{sfn|Gaston|Davies|Bennie|Hopkins|2012|p=1261}} Nocturnal insects navigate using moonlight, lunar phases, infrared vision, the position of the stars, and the Earth's magnetic field.{{sfn|Danthanarayana|1986|p=3}} Artificial lighting disrupts the [[Biological rhythm|biorhythms]] of many animals.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=241}} Night-flying insects that use the moon for navigation are especially vulnerable to disorientation from increasing levels of artificial lighting.{{sfn|Pennisi|Benthe|Haberland|2021|p=556}} Artificial lights attract many night-flying insects that die from exhaustion and nocturnal predators.{{sfn|Pennisi|Benthe|Haberland|2021|p=557}} Decreases in insect populations disrupt the overall ecosystem because their larvae are a key food source for smaller fish.{{sfn|Pennisi|Benthe|Haberland|2021|pp=556–557}} [[Dark-sky movement|Dark-sky advocate]] Paul Bogard described the unnatural migration of night-flying insects from the unlit Nevada desert into [[Las Vegas]] as "like sparkling confetti floating in the beam's white column".{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=239}}

[[File:Bat feeding buzz.wav|thumb|alt=Chirping increases in frequency as a bat approaches its prey.|Time-expanded recording of a bat using [[Animal echolocation|echolocation]] to home in on its prey]]

Some nocturnal animals have developed other senses to compensate for limited light. Many snakes have a [[Infrared sensing in snakes|pit organ]] that senses infrared light and enables them to detect heat. Nocturnal mice possess a [[vomeronasal organ]] that enhances their sense of smell. Bats heavily depend on [[Animal echolocation|echolocation]].{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=238}} Echolocation allows an animal to navigate with their sense of hearing by emitting sounds and listening for the time it takes them to bounce back.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=238}} Bats emit a steady stream of clicks while hunting insects and home in on prey as thin as human hair.{{sfn|Langley|2021|loc="Bat signals"}}

[[File:Henry Fuseli (1741–1825), The Nightmare, 1781.jpg|alt=painting of a demon on the chest of a sleeping woman|thumb|Fuseli's ''[[The Nightmare]]'']]
People and other [[Diurnality|diurnal]] animals sleep primarily at night.{{sfn|Moorcroft|2005|p=33}} Humans, other mammals, and birds experience multiple stages of sleep visible via [[electroencephalography]].{{sfn|Vorster|Born|2015|p=108}} The stages of sleep are [[wakefulness]], three stages of [[non-rapid eye movement sleep]] (NREM), including [[deep sleep]], and [[rapid eye movement sleep|rapid eye movement (REM) sleep]].{{sfn|Patel|Reddy|Shumway|Araujo|2024|loc="Mechanism"}} During REM sleep, dreams are more frequent and complex.{{sfn|Hoel|2021|loc="Introduction"}} Studies show that some reptiles may also experience REM sleep.{{sfn|Dunham|2016}} During deep sleep, memories are consolidated into [[long-term memory]].{{sfn|Vorster|Born|2015|p=115}} Invertebrates most likely experience a form of sleep as well. Studies on bees, which have complex brain structures unrelated to vertebrate brains, have shown improvements in memory after sleep, similar to mammals.{{sfn|Vorster|Born|2015|p=113}}

Compared to waking life, dreams are sparse with limited sensory detail. Dreams are hallucinatory or bizarre, and they often have a narrative structure.{{sfn|Hoel|2021|loc="Contemporary Theories of Dreams"}} Many hypotheses exist to explain the function of dreams without a definitive answer.{{sfn|Hoel|2021|loc="Contemporary Theories of Dreams"}} [[Nightmare]]s are dreams that cause distress. The word "night-mare" originally referred to nocturnal demons that were believed to assail sleeping dreamers, like the [[incubus]] (male) or [[succubus]] (female).{{sfn|Harris|2004|pp=439–440}} It was believed that the demons could sit upon a dreamer's chest to suffocate a victim, as depicted in John Henry Fuseli's ''[[The Nightmare]]''.{{sfn|Harris|2004|pp=439–440}}

===Fungi===
[[File:Butterfly "Ghost" infested by fungi (Cordyceps sp.) (8680188351).jpg|alt=Tendrils protrude through the corpse of a dead insect host still clinging to a plant.|thumb|An [[entomopathogenic fungus]] extends [[Sporocarp (fungus)|fruiting bodies]] from its host.]]

Fungi can sense the presence and absence of light, and the nightly changes of most fungi growth and biological processes are direct responses to either darkness or falling temperatures.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|p=517}} By night, fungi are more engaged in synthesizing [[cellular component]]s and increasing their biomass.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|p=528}} For example, [[Entomopathogenic fungus|fungi that prey on insects]] will infect the [[central nervous system]] of their prey, allowing the fungi to control the actions of the dying insect. During the late afternoon, the fungi will pilot their prey to higher elevations where wind currents can carry its spores further, and at night, will kill and [[Saprotrophic nutrition|digest]] the insect, extending [[Sporocarp (fungus)|fruiting bodies]] from the host's exoskeleton.{{sfn|Lovett|Leger|2018|pp=935–936}} Most fungi do not have true circadian rhythms.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|p=517}} The bread mold ''[[Neurospora crassa]]'' is used to study biorhythms because it is one of the few species of fungi to rely on an internal clock rather than directly on environmental changes.{{sfn|Dunlap|Loroso|2018|pp=515–517}}

===Plants===
[[File:Epiphyllum Time-lapse - 10.30.10.webm|thumb|alt=video of single flower|Time-lapse video of a [[night-blooming cereus]]]]

During the day, plants engage in [[photosynthesis]] and release [[oxygen]]. By night, plants engage in [[cellular respiration|respiration]], consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.{{sfn|Fricke|2020|p=1152}} Plants can draw up more water after sunset, which facilitates new leaf growth.{{sfn|Fricke|2020|p=1154}} As plants cannot create energy through photosynthesis after sunset, they use energy stored in the plant, [[Starch#Energy store of plants|typically as starch granules]].{{sfn|Scialdone|Howard|2015|p=1}} Plants use this stored energy at a steady rate, depleting their reserves almost right at dawn.{{sfn|Scialdone|Howard|2015|p=1}} Plants will adjust their rate of consumption to match the expected time until sunrise. This avoids prematurely running out of starch reserves,{{sfn|Scialdone|Howard|2015|p=1}} and it allows the plant to adjust for longer nights in the winter.{{sfn|Scialdone|Howard|2015|p=2}} If a plant is subjected to artificially early darkness, it will ration its energy consumption to last until dawn.{{sfn|Scialdone|Howard|2015|p=2}}

[[Succulent plant]]s, including [[cacti]], have adapted to the limited water availability in arid environments like [[desert]]s.{{sfn|Hewitt|1997|p=10}} The [[stoma]]ta of cacti do not open until night.{{sfn|Hewitt|1997|p=12}} When the temperature drops, the pores open to allow the cacti to store carbon dioxide for photosynthesis the next day, a process known as [[crassulacean acid metabolism]] (CAM).{{sfn|Hewitt|1997|p=12}}{{sfn|Herrera|2009|p=645}} Cacti and night-blooming plants use CAM to store up to 99% of the carbon dioxide they use in daily photosynthesis.{{sfn|Borges|Somanathan|Kelber|2016|p=399}}{{sfn|Herrera|2009|p=646}} [[Ceroid cactus|Ceroid cacti]] often have flowers that [[Night-blooming cereus|bloom at night]] and fade before sunrise.{{sfn|Hewitt|1997|pp=60–61}} As few bees are nocturnal, night-flowering plants rely on other pollinators, including moths, beetles, and bats.{{sfn|Borges|Somanathan|Kelber|2016|p=404}} These flowers rely more on the pollinators' [[sense of smell]], with strong perfumes to attract moths and foul-smelling odors to attract bats.{{sfn|Hewitt|1997|p=13}}

[[Eukaryote|Eukaryotic]] and [[Prokaryote|prokaryotic]] organisms that engage in photosynthesis are also affected by nightfall. Like plants, [[algae]] will switch to taking in oxygen and processing energy stored as starch.{{sfn|Carnegie Institution|2014}}{{sfn|Lutz|n.d.}} [[Cyanobacteria]] switch from photosynthesis to nitrogen fixation after sunset.{{sfn|Coombs|2006}} They also [[Genetic transformation|absorb genetic material]] from their environment at a higher rate during the night.{{sfn|Leitch|2020}}

==Culture==
===History and technology===
[[File:Tom Temple's career (1888) (14765338502).jpg|thumb|alt=a lantern illuminates only the corner of the room where it is pointed|An illustration from [[Horatio Alger]]'s ''Tom Temple's Career'' shows a burglar using a "dark lantern", which shines in only one direction.]]

Before the [[History of industrialisation|industrial era]], night was a time of heightened insecurity.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=36}} Fear of the night was common but varied in intensity across cultures.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=5}} Some psychologists have concluded that prehistoric people feared real and tangible harms present during the night and that these concrete fears developed into a broader fear of night itself.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=4}}

Dangers increased due to lower visibility. Injuries and deaths were caused by drowning and falling into pits, ditches, and shafts.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=23-27}} People were less able to evaluate others after dark.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=8}} Due to nocturnal alcohol consumption and the anonymity of darkness, quarrels were more likely to escalate to violence. For example, in medieval [[Stockholm]], the majority of murders were committed while intoxicated.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=46}}

Crime and fear of crime increased at night.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=31-33}} In pre-industrial Europe, criminals disguised themselves with hats, face paint, or [[cloaks]]. Thieves would trip pedestrians with ropes laid across streets and dismount horse riders using long poles extended from the roadside shadows. They used "dark lanterns" where light could be shined through a single side. Most nocturnal thieves worked alone; organized criminal gangs were uncommon except for [[burglary]].{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=31-40}} With members numbering into the dozens and hundreds, burglary rings hacked, cut, smashed, and burrowed into homes when residents were sleeping. They used a range of brutality to subdue and intimidate the residents, with the French ''[[Chauffeur (criminal)|chauffeurs]]'' infamously torturing victims with fire. With nothing comparable to a modern police force, these burglary gangs then escaped into the night, often disguised as demons, ghosts, or monsters.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=38-40}} Burglary rings also employed arson both to create distraction and to flush people from their locked homes.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=54}}

Early sources of heat and illumination (such as chimneys, candles, and oil lamps) created inherent fire risks while families slept.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=51}} Additionally, bakers and brewers kept fires constantly burning near stacks of wood and charcoal.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=52}} Cities and towns regularly burned to the ground. One English town, [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], was consumed by fire four times in five years.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=48-55}} The increased humidity of night was deemed the result of vapors and fumes.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=12-16}} The annual movements of stars and [[constellation]]s across the [[night sky]] were used to track the passage of time,{{sfn|Atkins|2020|p=25}} but other changes in the night sky were interpreted as significant [[omen]]s.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=9}}

Many daytime religious, governmental, and local [[social control]]s dissipated after nightfall.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=59, 88}} Fortified Christian communities announced the coming darkness with horns, [[church bell]]s, or drums. This alerted residents&mdash;like peasants working in the fields&mdash;to return home before the [[city gate]]s shut.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=61}} The English engaged in a daily process of "shutting in", where valuables were brought into homes before they were bolted, barred, locked, and [[window shutter#Exterior shutters|shuttered]].{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=91-93}} Many English and European towns attempted to impose curfews during the medieval period and gradually loosened the restrictions via exceptions.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=63-65}} Prayer and [[Folk religion|folk magic]] were more common by night.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=97-99}} [[Amulet]]s were hung to ward off nightmares, spells were cast against thievery, and pig hearts were hung in chimneys to block demons from traveling down them.{{sfn|Ekirch|2001|p=357}} The common phrase "good night" has been shortened from "God give you a good night."{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=97-99}} In [[History of Istanbul#Imperial capital|Ottoman Istanbul]], the royal palaces shifted to projecting nocturnal power through large parties lit by lanterns, candles, and [[fireworks]].{{sfn|Wishnitzer|2014|pp=521-522}} Though [[Khamr|alcohol was forbidden for Muslims]], after dark, Turkish Muslims went to bars and taverns beyond the Muslim areas.{{sfn|Wishnitzer|2014|p=523}}

The night has long been a time of increased sexual activity, especially in taboo forms such as [[Premarital sex|premarital]], [[Extramarital sex|extramarital]], [[Sexual practices between men|gay]], and [[Sexual practices between women|lesbian]] sex.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=191-197}} In colonial New England courtship, young unmarried couples practiced [[Bundling (tradition)|bundling]] before marriage. The couples would lie down in the woman's bed, her family would wrap them tightly with blankets, and they would spend the night together this way. Some families took precautions to prevent [[Unintended pregnancy|unintended pregnancies]], like sleeping in the same room, laying a large wooden board between the couple, or pulling a single stocking over both of their daughter's legs.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=197-202}} Historian [[Roger Ekirch]] described pre-industrial night as a "sanctuary from ordinary existence."{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=xxvi}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| caption_align     = center
| total_width       = 320
| image1            = Costume of Portugal by Henry L'Evêque 132 (cropped).jpg
| alt1              = A lamplighter lights the lantern within a lowered light fixture mounted on the side of a building.
| caption1          = Lantern
| image2            = Stockholmgas 1953.jpg
| alt2              = A lamplighter climbs a ladder to light a gas streetlight.
| caption2          = Gas
| footer            = The first streetlights in Europe were suspended lanterns that housed candles or lamps. Much brighter gas lighting was developed in the 1800s.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011}}
}}

Artificial lighting expanded the scope of acceptable work and leisure after dark.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011|p=2}} In the 1600s, the major European cities introduced [[streetlight]]s. These were lit by lamplighters each evening outside of the summer months.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=72-73}} Early streetlights were metal and glass enclosures housing candles or [[oil lamp]]s. They were suspended above streets or mounted on posts.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011|pp=130-136}} The use of artificial lighting led to an increase in acceptable nightlife.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011|pp=155-156}} In more rural areas, night remained a period of rest and nocturnal labor.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011|p=201}} Young adults, the urban poor, prostitutes, and thieves benefited from the anonymity of darkness and frequently smashed the new lanterns.{{sfn|Koslofsky|2011|pp=162-165}} Gas lighting was invented in the 1800s. A [[gas mantle]] was over ten times brighter than an oil lamp.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=331}} [[Gas lighting]] was associated with the creation of regular police forces.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=331-335}} In England, police departments were tasked with maintaining the gas lights, which became known as "police lamps".{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=335}} Daytime routines were further pushed back into the night by the [[Electric light|electric light bulb]]&mdash;invented in the late 19th century&mdash;and the widespread usage of [[History of timekeeping devices|newer timekeeping]] devices like watches.{{sfn|Duijzings|Dušková|2022|p=2}} Electric lights created [[night shift]]s for traditionally daytime fields, like India's cotton industry, and created opportunities for working adults to attend [[night school]].{{sfn|Kumar|2022|pp=55, 67-68}}

===Fear of the dark===
The widespread usage of artificial lighting and other technologies has allowed many aspects of daily life and daytime social controls to continue after sunset. [[Fear of the dark]] and belief in creatures of the night has decreased but remains a significant part of modern life. One side effect of measures to police and promote urban nightlife is reduced personal privacy. Another side effect is the emergence of 8-hour sleep cycles replacing [[segmented sleep]].{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=344-368}} Before the widespread usage of artificial lighting, sleep was typically split into two major segments separated by about an hour of wakefulness.{{sfn|Ekirch|2001|p=364}} During this midnight period, people engaged in prayer, crimes, urination, sex, and, most commonly, reflection.{{sfn|Ekirch|2001|pp=370-373}} Without exposure to artificial light, studies show that people revert to sleeping in two separate intervals.{{sfn|Ekirch|2001|p=367}}

[[Fear of the dark|Fear of the dark and the night]] remains widespread and only amounts to a phobia in rare cases.{{sfn|Poole|2017|p=15}} Nighttime fears are especially common among children.{{sfn|Gordon|King|2002|p=121}} These fears are typically mild, and most children grow out of them. About 1 in 5 children have persistent and intense fears that correlate with decreased sleep quality and anxiety for both the child and their family.{{sfn|El Rafihi-Ferreira|Lewis|McFayden|Ollendick|2019|p=941}} [[Lucretius]] and [[Aristotle]] observed a similar fear of the dark more present among children in the classical era,{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=119}} and there are long traditions among various cultures of telling children bedtime stories of bogeymen and villains who prey upon disobedient children.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|pp=120, 180}}

Among adults, walking alone after dark is a common nighttime fear. It is so common, that [[criminologist]]s have used some variation of the question, "How safe do you feel or would you feel being alone in your neighbourhood after dark?" to gauge a population's fear of crime and victimization.{{sfn|Roberts|2024|pp=2452–2455}} The fear is most strongly reported by women and sexual minorities.{{sfn|Meyer|Denis|2014|loc="Discussion"}} A 1975 study found that the most common nighttime fears expressed by women were murder and sexual assault.{{sfn|Day|1999|p=290}} Despite most urban crimes correlating to daytime hours of peak activity, violent crime remains most common after dark.{{sfn|Favre|2019|loc=paras. 1&ndash;3}}

===Folklore and religion===
[[File:British Museum - Room 27 (17947483409).jpg|thumb|alt=mask made from human skull|Mask of [[Tezcatlipoca]], the Aztec "Night Wind"]]

Diverse cultures have made connections between the night sky and the [[afterlife]].{{sfn|Graur|2024|pp=37-40}} Many Native American peoples have described the Milky Way as a path where the deceased travel as stars. The Lakota term for the Milky Way is ''Wanáǧi Thacháŋku'', or "Spirit's Road".{{sfn|Graur|2024|p=39}} In Mayan mythology, the Milky Way's dark band is the Road of [[Xibalba]], the path to the [[underworld]].{{sfn|Graur|2024|p=39}} Unrelated cultures share a myth of a star-covered sky goddess who arches over the planet after sunset, like [[Citlālicue]], the [[Aztec mythology|Aztec]] personification of the Milky Way.{{sfn|Graur|2024|pp=37-38}}{{sfn|Klein|2000|p=51}} The elongated Egyptian goddess [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]] and ''N!adima'' from [[Botswana]] are said to consume the Sun at dusk.{{sfn|Graur|2024}} In the [[Ancient Egyptian religion]], the Sun then travels through the netherworld inside Nut's body, where it is reborn at dawn.{{sfn|Graur|2024}}

[[File:Peter Nicolai Arbo - Natten - Nasjonalmuseet - NG.M.03666.jpg|alt=painting|thumb|right|[[Nótt]], the personification of night in [[Norse mythology]], rides her horse in this 1887 painting by [[Peter Nicolai Arbo]].]]

Many cultures have personified the night.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=4}} [[Ratri]] is the star-covered [[Hinduism|Hindu]] goddess of the night.{{sfn|Jordan|2014|p=264}} In the Icelandic ''[[Prose Edda]]'', night is embodied by [[Nótt]].{{sfn|Byock|2006|p=19}} Ratri and Nött are goddesses of sleep and rest, but it is common for personifications to be associated with misfortune.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|p=4}} In Aztec mythology, [[Tezcatlipoca|Black Tezcatlipoca]], the "Night Wind", was associated with [[obsidian]] and the nocturnal jaguar.{{sfn|Cartwright|2013}}{{sfn|Maestri|2019}} In his "Precious Owl" manifestation, the Aztecs regarded Tezcatlipoca as the bringer of death and destruction.{{sfn|Cartwright|2013}} The Aztecs anticipated an unending night when the [[Tzitzimitl|Tzitzimīmeh]], skeletal female star deities, would descend to consume all humans.{{sfn|Klein|2000|p=17}} In classical mythology, the night goddess [[Nyx]] is the mother of [[Hypnos|Sleep]], [[Thanatos|Death]], Disease, [[Eris (mythology)|Strife]], and [[Moros|Doom]].{{sfn|Bronfen|2013|pp=405, 424}} In [[Jewish culture]] and [[Jewish mysticism|mysticism]], the demon [[Lilith]] embodies the emotional reactions to darkness, including terror, lust, and liberation.{{sfn|Hammer|n.d.|p=1}}

Nighttime in the pre-industrial period, often called the "night season", was associated with darkness and uncertainty.{{sfn|Ekirch|2005|loc=Preface}} Various cultures have regarded the night as a time when [[ghosts]] and other [[Spirit (supernatural entity)|spirits]] are active on Earth.{{sfn|Hutton|2017|p=128}} When Protestant theologians abandoned the concept of [[purgatory]], many came to view reported ghost sightings as the result of demonic activity.{{sfn|Bennett|1999|pp=140-143}} In the sixteenth century, Swiss theologian [[Ludwig Lavater]] began attempting to explain reported spirits as mistakes, deceit, or the work of demons.{{sfn|Bennett|1999|p=141}} The idea of night as a dangerous, dark, or haunted time persists in modern [[urban legend]]s like the [[vanishing hitchhiker]].{{sfn|Hyde|2021}}{{sfn|Mikkelson|1999}}

{{blockquote
|text=Many times in the night season, there have been certain spirits heard softly going or spitting or groaning, who being asked what they were have made answer that they were the souls of this or that man and that they now endure extreme torments.{{sfn|Bruce|2016|p=222}}
|author=[[Ludwig Lavater]]
|title=Of Ghosts and Spirits Walking by Night
}}

In folklore, nocturnal [[preternatural]] beings like [[goblin]]s, [[fairies]], [[werewolves]], [[Puck (folklore)|pucks]], [[Brownie (folklore)|brownies]], [[banshee]]s, and [[boggart]]s have overlapping but non-synonymous definitions.<ref>{{multiref |{{harvnb|Ostling|Forest|2014|pp=561–562}}; |{{harvnb|Ekirch|2005|pp=17–19}}; |{{harvnb|Hutton|2017|p=230}}.}}</ref> The [[werewolf]]&mdash;and its francophone variations, the ''loup-garou'' and [[rougarou]]&mdash;were believed to be people who transformed into beasts at night.{{sfn|Ransom|2015}}{{sfn|Pasarić|2015|p=241}} In West Africa and among the [[African diaspora]], there is a widespread tradition of a type of vampire who removes their human skin at night and travels as a blood-sucking ball of light. Variation includes the [[fifollet|feu-follet]], the Surinamese ''asema'', the Caribbean ''[[Soucouyant|sukuyan]]'', the Ashanti ''[[obayifo]]'', and the Ghanaian ''[[asanbosam]]''.{{sfn|Jenkins|2013}}{{sfn|Pasarić|2015|pp=239-241}} The medieval fear of night-flying [[European witchcraft|European witches]] was influenced by the Roman ''[[Strix (mythology)|strix]]''.{{sfn|Hutton|2017|p=69}} The Romans described the ''strix'' as capable of changing between a beautiful woman and an owl-shaped monster.{{sfn|Hutton|2017|pp=69-70}} Common themes among these mythical nocturnal entities include [[hypersexuality]], predation, [[shapeshifting]], deception, mischief, and malice.{{sfn|Hutton|2017|pp=234-242}}

===Nightlife===
{{Main|Nightlife}}

[[File:1 times square night 2013.jpg|alt=many pedestrians, drivers, and seated people active at night and lit by streetlights, headlights, and billboards|thumb|250px|Nightlife in [[Times Square]], [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]] [[Manhattan]]]]

[[Nightlife]], sometimes referred to as "the night-time economy", is a range of [[entertainment]] available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early morning.{{sfn|Nofre|2021|p=1552}}{{sfn|Beer|2011|p=141}} It has traditionally included venues such as [[pub]]s, [[Bar (establishment)|bars]], [[nightclub]]s, live [[music]], [[concert]]s, [[cabaret]]s, [[theater]]s, [[hookah lounge]]s, [[movie theatre|cinemas]], and shows. Nightlife entertainment is often more [[adult]]-oriented than daytime entertainment.{{sfn|Oldenburg|1999}} It also includes informal gatherings like [[party|parties]], ''[[botellón]]'', [[gymkhanas]], [[Bingo (American version)|bingo]], and amateur sports.{{sfn|Nofre|2021|p=1552}} In many cities, there has been an increasing focus on nightlife catering to tourists.{{sfn|Nofre|2021|pp=1553-1555}} Nightlife has become a major part of the economy and [[urban planning]] in modern cities.{{sfn|Beer|2011|p=146}} People who prefer to be active at night are called [[Night owl (person)|night owls]].{{sfn|Klein|2008|p=20}}

Social movements in the 20th century, including [[feminism]], black activism, the [[gay rights movement]], and community action, blurred the lines between political action and broader cultural activities, making political movements a part of the nightlife.{{sfn|Bianchini|1995|p=122}} Sociologists have argued that vibrant city nightlife scenes contribute to the development of culture and political movements. David Grazian cites as examples the development of [[beat poetry]], musical styles including [[bebop]], [[Blues#Urban blues|urban blues]], and early rock, and the importance of nightlife for the development of the [[gay rights movement]] in the United States kicked off by the [[Stonewall riots|riots at the Stonewall Inn nightclub]] in [[Greenwich Village]], Lower Manhattan, New York City.{{sfn|Grazian|2009|pp=908–917}} Modern cities treat nightlife as necessary to the city's marketability but also something to be managed in order to reduce activities viewed as disorderly, risky, or otherwise problematic.{{sfn|Bavinton|2010|pp=236, 243}} [[Urban renewal]] policies have increased the available possibilities for nighttime consumers and decreased non-commercial nocturnal activities outside of sanctioned festivals and concerts.{{sfn|Rowe|Bavinton|2011|pp=820-821}}

==Art==
<!--[[File:Frederic Chopin - Nocturne Eb major Opus 9, number 2.ogg|thumb|alt=|]]-->
===Literature===
[[File:Wenceslas Hollar - Manilius. The sphere.jpg|thumb|''The Sphere'' by [[Marcus Manilius]], translated into English by [[Edward Sherburne]] in the 17th century]]
In literature, night is often associated with mysterious, hidden, dangerous, and clandestine activities.{{sfn|Boyer|2019}} ''[[Rhesus (play)|Rhesus]]'' is the only extant [[Greek tragedy]] where night is explicitly invoked and made an element of the story. In the play, night is a time of disorder and confusion that allows [[Odysseus]] to sneak into the Trojan camp and kill [[Rhesus of Thrace|King Rhesus of Thrace]].{{sfn|Marie-Charlotte von Lehsten|2020|pp=185-187}} The handful of surviving [[Classical Greek]] texts that describe the nocturnal activities of women portray female freedom, especially to speak openly, male anxieties about that freedom, and magic that functions as a metaphor for nocturnal danger.{{sfn|Bensch-Schaus|2020|p=190}} Roman poets like [[Marcus Manilius]] and [[Aratus]] worked late into the night and incorporated darkness and the night sky into their writing.{{sfn|Wilson|2020|pp=131, 147}}

Since the [[Age of Enlightenment]], nocturnal settings have been a frequent place for passionate chaos as a counterbalance to the rationality present during the day.{{sfn|Bronfen|2013|pp=343-344}} In [[Gothic fiction]], this absence of rationality offered a space for lust and terror.{{sfn|Bronfen|2013|p=227}} [[Turkish literature|Ottoman literature]] portrayed night as a time for forbidden or [[unrequited love]].{{sfn|Wishnitzer|2014|p=518}} Night and day were long depicted as opposite conditions.{{sfn|Boyer|2019|loc="It's plain as night and day..."}} The electric light, the industrial revolution, and [[shift work]] brought many aspects of daily life into the night.{{sfn|Boyer|2019}} The author [[Charles Dickens]] lived in London during the time of [[gas lighting]] and compared the unstable separation between the waking and sleeping city to the unstable separation he perceived between dream and delusion.{{sfn|Dickens|2012}}{{sfn|Beaumont|2014|p=120}} Night in [[contemporary literature]] offers liminal settings, such as hospitals and gas stations, that contain some aspects of daily life.{{sfn|Boyer|2019}}

{{blockquote
|text=Night fell, while Helga Crane in the rushing swiftness of a roaring elevated train sat numb. It was as if all the bogies and goblins that had beset her unloved, unloving, and unhappy childhood had come to life with tenfold power to hurt and frighten.{{sfn|Larsen|1971|p=63}}
 |author = [[Nella Larsen]]
 |source = ''[[Quicksand (Larsen novel)|Quicksand]]''
}}

===Film and photography===
[[File:The Phantom of the Opera (1925).webm|left|thumb|thumbtime=52:46|start=52:55 |alt=complete silent film with some scenes tinted|end=53:05|A night scene [[Film tinting|tinted]] blue from the 1925 film ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'']]<!--
[[File:Bean (1997) – Night Out with Mr Bean.webm|left|thumb|thumbtime=6:03|start=5:51|end=6:05|A night scene from the episode "Night Out with Mr. Bean" with a blue [[color balance]] and lighting]]-->

Directly filming at night is rarely done. Film stocks and video cameras are much less sensitive in low-light environments than the human eye.{{sfn|Rabiger|2014|p=88}} During the silent film era, many night scenes were filmed during the day in black and white.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=180}} Sections of the monochrome film reel with exterior night scenes were soaked in an acidic dye that tinted the whole scene blue.{{sfn|Read|2009|pp=13, 20}}{{sfn|Kramer|2015|loc="Tinting and Toning"}} "[[Day for night]]" is a set of cinematic techniques that simulate a night scene while filming in daylight. They include [[Underexposure|underexposing]] to soften the scene, using a [[graduated neutral-density filter]] to mute lighting, and setting up the artificial lighting to amplify shadows in the background. {{sfn|Hurkman|2013|p=31}} Lower-budget films are more likely to use day for night shooting; larger-budget films are more likely to film at night with artificial lighting.{{sfn|Hurkman|2013|p=31}} Cinematographers have used tinting, filters, color balance settings, and physical lights to color night scenes blue.{{sfn|Hurkman|2013|p=43}} In low light, people experience the [[Purkinje effect]], which causes reds to dim so that more blue is perceived. As light decreases towards total darkness, the human eye has more [[scotopic vision]], relying more on [[rod cell]]s and being less able to perceive color.{{sfn|Hurkman|2013|pp=43-44}}{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=180}}

[[File:London Eye at Night (long exposure).JPG|thumb|alt=A ferris wheel blurs into a neon circle.|A long-exposure photograph of the [[London Eye]] at night]]

[[Night photography]] can capture the natural colors of night by increasing the [[shutter speed|exposure time]], or length of time captured in the photography.{{sfn|Keimig|2012|pp=xxiv, 22}} Longer exposures open the possibility for photographers to use [[light painting]] to selectively illuminate a scene.{{sfn|Keimig|2012|p=225}} [[Digital photography]] can also make use of [[film speed|high-ISO settings]], which increase the sensitivity to light, to take shorter exposure shots. This makes it possible to capture moving subjects without turning their movements into a blur.{{sfn|Keimig|2012|pp=104, 118}}

===Painting===
{{main|Night in paintings (Eastern art)|Night in paintings (Western art)}}

Dating back to prehistoric [[cave painting]]s, artists have used a range of symbols to denote and depict the night sky.{{sfn|King|2023}} The first widely accepted portrayal of the night sky is the [[Nebra sky disc]] created {{circa|1600 BC}}.{{sfn|King|2023}} In [[medieval art]], [[astrological sign]]s gave meaning to paintings of night scenes.{{sfn|King|2023}} [[Adam Elsheimer]]'s paintings [[Oil on copper|on copper plates]] were some of the earliest realistic depictions of the night sky.{{sfn|King|2023}}

[[File:An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1768.jpg|thumb|''[[An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump]]'' (1768), by [[Joseph Wright of Derby]]]]

[[Baroque]] paintings typically used a darker [[color scheme]] than previous painting styles in Europe. From the 17th century, darkness took up larger areas of paintings on average.{{sfn|Rzepińska|Malcharek|1986|p=91}} Changes in the chemical composition of the paint itself and the development of new techniques for representing light led to the [[tenebrism]] style of painting. Tenebrism used stark, realistic depictions of light contrasted with darkness to create realistic depictions of night and darkness illuminated by moonlight, candles, and lamps.{{sfn|Rzepińska|Malcharek|1986|pp=91-95}} The work of Baroque painters, like [[Caravaggio]], who painted an entire studio black, was influenced by the alchemical concept of "[[nigredo]]", or blackness as connected to death and decomposition.{{sfn|Rzepińska|Malcharek|1986|pp=104-107}}{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=90}} [[Dutch Golden Age painter]] [[Rembrandt]] recreated the dim light cast by early street lighting by layering translucent brown glazes.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=93}}

[[File:Van Gogh - Starry Night - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|''The Starry Night'' (1889), by Van Gogh]]

[[Impressionism|Impressionists]] represented darkness with shades of brown and blue based on the ideas that true black was not present in nature and that black had a deadening effect on the art.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=24}} [[Claude Monet]] notably avoided black paints.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=102}} [[Vincent van Gogh]] used heavy outlines between panes of color in his paintings, inspired by [[woodblock printing in Japan]]. This style, called ''cloisonné'' after [[cloisonné|the metalworking technique]] that embedded glass between dark lines of wire, was adopted by other painters like [[Paul Gauguin]].{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=103}} As night in Europe became more artificially lit, former railway worker [[John Atkinson Grimshaw]] became known for his vibrantly lit urban paintings.{{sfn|King|2023}} In the modern era, painters have variously returned to archetypal symbols to capture the awe of night or painted scenes that emphasize how the modern city separates the viewer from the night sky.{{sfn|King|2023}}

[[File:Abhisarika-nayika-mola-ram.jpg|thumb|upright|''Abhisarika Nayika'' ({{circa|1800}}), by [[Mola Ram]] ]]

[[Near Eastern]] artists initially rejected these techniques to depict shadow as hiding aspects of creation in shadows.{{sfn|Edwards|2018|p=96}} [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] painters quickly incorporated techniques to depict night, twilight, and mists.{{sfn|Lee|1982|p=217}} Under Emperor [[Akbar|Akbar I]], European materials and techniques were imported. [[Rajput painting|Rajasthani paintings]] combined these with traditional styles and symbolism. ''[[Nayika]]s'', depictions of women seeking romantic love, were a common subject and often included night as the setting for romance and peril.{{sfn|Lee|1982|pp=217-223}} Jesuit painter [[Giuseppe Castiglione (Jesuit painter)|Giuseppe Castiglione]] brought [[Renaissance]] techniques for painting light and shadow to 17th-century China.{{sfn|Sullivan|1989|pp=67-74}} In pieces like ''[[One Hundred Famous Views of Edo]]'', [[Hiroshige]] developed techniques to represent shadow and nocturnal light that became widespread in Japanese [[Meiji-era]] art.{{sfn|Sullivan|1989|p=34}} Known for his crowd scenes lit by fireworks, Hiroshige had a strong influence on European painters.{{sfn|Binyon|1913|p=265}}

==See also ==
*[[Earth's shadow]]
*[[Night aviation regulations in the United States]]
*[[Nocturne]]
*[[Olbers's paradox]]{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Atkins |first=Adrienne |title=The values of nighttime in classical antiquity: between dusk and dawn |date=2020 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-43557-5 |editor-last=Ker |editor-first=James |series=Mnemosyne supplements |chapter=Night as Measure, Mother, and Metaphor in the Hesiodic Cosmos |editor-last2=Wessels |editor-first2=Antje}}
* {{Cite web |last=Atkinson |first=Stuart |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Love to See the Night Sky on Mars? This is What it Would Be Like to Stargaze on the Red Planet |url=https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/what-does-night-sky-look-like-mars |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=Sky at Night |publisher=BBC |language=en}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Dictionary of Word Origins |publisher=Arcade |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofword0000ayto |last=Ayto |first=John |date=1993 |isbn=978-1-55970-133-4}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Bavinton |first=Nathaniel |date=November 2010 |title=Putting leisure to work: city image and representations of nightlife |journal=Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=236–250 |doi=10.1080/19407963.2010.512206}}
* {{Citation |last=Beaumont |first=Matthew |title=The Mystery of Master Humphrey: Dickens, Nightwalking and "the Old Curiosity Shop" |date=2014 |journal=The Review of English Studies |volume=65 |issue=268 |pages=118–136 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24541052 |access-date=2024-04-08 |doi=10.1093/res/hgt031 |jstor=24541052}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Beer |first=Chris |date=September 2011 |title=Centres That Never Sleep? Planning for the Night-time Economy Within the Commercial Centres of Australian Cities |journal=Australian Planner |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=141–147 |doi=10.1080/07293682.2011.581245}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bennett |first=Gillian |title=Case Studies in the History of Ghosts and Visitations |date=1999 |publisher=University Press of Colorado |chapter=Alas, Poor Ghost! |doi=10.2307/j.ctt46nwwn.8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bensch-Schaus |first=Amelia |title=The values of nighttime in classical antiquity: between dusk and dawn |date=2020 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-43557-5 |editor-last=Ker |editor-first=James |series=Mnemosyne supplements |chapter=The Witching Hour: Troubled Women in Homer, Apollonius, and Theocritus |editor-last2=Wessels |editor-first2=Antje}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Bianchini |first=Franco |date=May 1995 |title=Night Cultures, Night Economies |journal=Planning Practice & Research |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=121–126 |doi=10.1080/02697459550036667}}
* {{Cite book |last=Binyon |first=Laurence |url=https://archive.org/details/paintinginfareas00binyiala |title=Painting in the Far East |date=1913 |publisher=Edward Arnold |edition=Second |location=London |oclc=228677723}}
* {{Cite web |date=2024a |editor-last=Bolles |editor-first=Dana |title=Mercury Facts |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mercury/facts/ |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=NASA Science}}
* {{Cite web |date=2024b |editor-last=Bolles |editor-first=Dana |title=Venus Facts |url=https://science.nasa.gov/venus/venus-facts/#hds-sidebar-nav-13 |access-date=26 May 2024 |website=NASA Science}}
* {{Cite web |date=2024c |editor-last=Bolles |editor-first=Dana |title=Moonlight |url=https://science.nasa.gov/moon/moonlight/ |website=NASA Science}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Borges |first=Renee M. |date=March 2018 |title=Dark Matters: Challenges of Nocturnal Communication Between Plants and Animals in Delivery of Pollination Services. |journal=The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine |volume=91 |issue=1 |pages=33–42 |pmc=5872639 |pmid=29599655}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Borges |first1=Renee M. |last2=Somanathan |first2=Hema |last3=Kelber |first3=Almut |date=2016 |title=Patterns and Processes in Nocturnal and Crepuscular Pollination Services |journal=The Quarterly Review of Biology |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=389–418 |doi=10.1086/689481 |pmid=29562117}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Boyer |first=Anne |date=2019 |title=The Fall of Night |url=https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/night/fall-night |magazine=Lapham's Quarterly |volume=12 |issue=1 |issn=1935-7494}}
* BRAIN (2004). {{Cite web |last=Brain Resources and Information Network (BRAIN) |title=Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep |url=https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123153140/https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm#Sleep%20and%20Circadian%20Rhythms |archive-date=23 Jan 2005 |website=National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke |ref={{sfnref|BRAIN|2004}}}} [https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep 2023 update.]
* {{Cite book |last=Bronfen |first=Elisabeth |title=Night passages: philosophy, literature, and film |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-14798-9}}
* {{Cite book |title=Penguin Book of the Undead |date=2016 |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=978-0143107682 |editor-last=Bruce |editor-first=Scott G. |edition=1st paperback}}
* {{Cite book |last=Byock |first=Jesse |title=The Prose Edda |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=0-14-044755-5}}
* {{Cite web |last=Carnegie Institution |date=November 10, 2014 |title=Biochemistry Detective Work: Algae at Night |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110110720.htm |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}
* {{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Mark |date=14 August 2013 |title=Tezcatlipoca |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Tezcatlipoca/ |access-date=18 May 2024 |website=World History Encyclopedia}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Cell |date=22 April 2009 |title=Night vision |journal=Nature |volume=458 |issue=948 |doi=10.1038/458948a}}
* {{Cite web |last=Clery |first=Daniel |date=1 November 2017 |title=Earth-sized Alien Worlds Are out There. Now, Astronomers Are Figuring out How to Detect Life on Them |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/earth-sized-alien-worlds-are-out-there-now-astronomers-are-figuring-out-how-detect-life |access-date=29 February 2024 |website=Science |publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science}}
* {{Cite news |last=Coombs |first=Amy |date=30 January 2006 |title=Cyanobacteria Work the Night Shift |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/cyanobacteria-work-night-shift |access-date=19 April 2024 |work=Science}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198868750.001.0001/acref-9780198868750-e-3372?rskey=vNQeTS&result=8 |title=Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins |chapter=Night |date=2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-191-90520-9 |editor-last=Cresswell |editor-first=Julia |edition=3rd}}
* {{Cite book |title=Insect Flight |date=1986 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-642-71157-2 |editor-last=Danthanarayana |editor-first=W.}}
* {{Cite web |last=David |first=Leonard |date=November 13, 2022 |title=Surviving the Lunar Night Can Be a Challenge for Astronauts on the Moon |url=https://www.space.com/moon-missions-artemis-challenges-overnight |website=Science}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Day |first=Kristen |date=Winter 1999 |title=Strangers in the Night: Women's Fear of Sexual Assault on Urban College Campuses |journal=Journal of Architectural and Planning Research |volume=16 |issue=4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dickens |first=Charles |title=Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Victorian Era |date=2012 |publisher=Broadview Press |edition=Second |volume=5 |chapter=Night Walks |orig-date=1860 |chapter-url=https://globalvictorians.omeka.net/items/show/127}}
* {{Cite web |last=Dobrijevic |first=Daisy |date=26 September 2022 |title=The Summer Solstice: What Is It and When Does It Occur? |url=https://www.space.com/summer-solstice-when-what |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=Space |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Duijzings |first1=Ger |title=Working at Night: The Temporal Organisation of Labour Across Political and Economic Regimes |last2=Dušková |first2=Lucie |date=2022 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH |isbn=978-3-11-075288-5 |chapter=Introduction}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Dunham |first=Will |date=April 29, 2016 |title=Slumber Party: Reptiles, like Us, Have REM Sleep and May Dream |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slumber-party-reptiles-like-us-have-rem-sleep-and-may-dream/ |magazine=Scientific American |language=en |issn=0036-8733}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Dunlap |first1=Jay C. |title=The Fungal Kingdom |last2=Loroso |first2=Jennifer J. |date=2018 |work=<!--see below--> |publisher=American Society for Microbiology |isbn=978-1-55581-958-3 |editor-last=Heitman |editor-first=Joseph |chapter=Making Time: Conservation of Biological Clocks from Fungi to Animals |doi=10.1128/9781555819583.ch24 |editor-last2=Howlett |editor-first2=Barbara J. |editor-last3=Crous |editor-first3=Pedro W. |editor-last4=Stukenbrock |editor-first4=Eva H. |editor-last5=James |editor-first5=Timothy Y. |editor-last6=Gow |editor-first6=Neil A. R.}}<!--
Citing the book, this was also published as:
Dunlap JC, Loros JJ. 2017. Making time: conservation
of biological clocks from fungi to animals. Microbiol
Spectrum 5(3):FUNK-0039-2016.
-->
* {{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Nina |title=Darkness: A Cultural History |date=2018 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78023-982-8}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Ekirch |first=A. Roger |date=April 2001 |title=Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles |journal=American Historical Review |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=343–386 |doi=10.1086/ahr/106.2.343|pmid=18680884 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Ekirch |first=A. Roger |url=https://archive.org/details/atdaysclose00arog_0 |title=At Day's Close |date=2005 |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=9780393329018 |edition=1st paperback}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=El Rafihi-Ferreira |first1=Renatha |last2=Lewis |first2=Krystal M. |last3=McFayden |first3=Tyler |last4=Ollendick |first4=Thomas H. |date=April 2019 |title=Predictors of Nighttime Fears and Sleep Problems in Young Children |journal=Journal of Child & Family Studies |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=941–949 |doi=10.1007/s10826-019-01332-9}}
* {{cite news |last=Favre |first=Lauren |date=12 June 2019 |title=Study: Big City Crime More Likely in the Day |work=US News |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-06-12/study-finds-crime-in-big-cities-is-more-likely-during-the-day}}
* {{Cite web |last=Flanders |first=Tony |date=December 5, 2008 |title=Rate Your Skyglow |url=https://skyandtelescope.org/get-involved/rate-your-skyglow/#Natural |access-date=2024-04-16}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Fricke |first=Wieland |date=February 2020 |title=Energy costs of salinity tolerance in crop plants: night-time transpiration and growth |journal=New Phytologist |volume=225 |issue=3 |pages=1152–1165 |bibcode=2020NewPh.225.1152F |doi=10.1111/nph.15773 |pmid=30834533}}
* {{Cite web |last=Gaherty |first=Geoff |date=7 May 2013 |title=This Week's 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse: What You Need to Know |url=https://www.space.com/20994-solar-eclipse-ring-of-fire.html |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=Space.com |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Gaston |first1=Kevin J. |last2=Davies |first2=Thomas W. |last3=Bennie |first3=Jonathan |last4=Hopkins |first4=John |date=December 2012 |title=Review: Reducing the ecological consequences of night-time light pollution: options and developments |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=49 |issue=6 |pages=1256–1266 |bibcode=2012JApEc..49.1256G |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02212.x |pmc=3546378 |pmid=23335816 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10871/21226}}
* {{Cite web |last=Gohd |first=Chelsea |date=21 July 2021 |title=Nighttime Weather on Venus Revealed for the 1st Time |url=https://www.space.com/venus-nightside-weather-revealed-akatsuki-jaxa |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=Space |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Gordon |first1=J. |last2=King |first2=N. |date=June 2002 |title=Children's Night-Time Fears: an Overview |journal=Counselling Psychology Quarterly |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=121–132 |doi=10.1080/09515070110104097}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Graur |first=Or |date=2024 |title=The Ancient Egyptian Personification of the Milky Way as the Sky-Goddess Nut: an Astronomical and Cross-cultural Analysis |journal=Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage |publisher=Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=28–45 |arxiv=2404.01458 |doi=10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2024.01.02}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Grazian |first=David |year=2009 |title=Urban Nightlife, Social Capital, and the Public Life of Cities |journal=Sociological Forum |volume=24 |pages=908–917 |doi=10.1111/j.1573-7861.2009.01143.x |jstor=40542603 |number=4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Greene |first=David |title=Light and Dark |date=2003 |publisher=Institute of Physics Publishing |isbn=0-7503-0874-5 |edition=eBook}}
* {{Cite web |last=Gunn |first=Alastair |date=n.d. |title=What is tidal locking? |url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/what-is-tidal-locking |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=Science Focus |publisher=BBC |language=en}}
*{{Cite journal |last1=Guzewich |first1=Scott D. |last2=Lustig-Yaeger |first2=Jacob |last3=Davis |first3=Christopher Evan |last4=Kopparapu |first4=Ravi Kumar |last5=Way |first5=Michael J. |last6=Meadows |first6=Victoria S. |date=24 April 2020 |title=The Impact of Planetary Rotation Rate on the Reflectance and Thermal Emission Spectrum of Terrestrial Exoplanets around Sunlike Stars |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20205001155/downloads/20-20.pdf |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=893 |issue=2 |pages=140 |arxiv=2002.02549 |bibcode=2020ApJ...893..140G |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ab83ec |doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite web |last=Hammer |first=Jill |date=n.d. |title=Lilith: Lady Flying in Darkness |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/lilith-lady-flying-in-darkness/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325165604/http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Issues/Magic_and_the_Supernatural/Practices_and_Beliefs/Supernatural_Beings/Lilith.shtml |archive-date=25 March 2015 |access-date=24 May 2024 |website=My Jewish Learning |language=en-US}}<!-- Depending on the version of the version/archive-date of the web page, this source will have between 1 and 3 pages, but the same content. -->
* {{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=James C. |date=1 May 2004 |title=The Nightmare |journal=Archives of General Psychiatry |volume=61 |issue=5 |pages=439–440 |doi=10.1001/archpsyc.61.5.439 |pmid=15123487}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Herrera |first=Ana |date=2009 |title=Crassulacean acid metabolism and fitness under water deficit stress: if not for carbon gain, what is facultative CAM good for? |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=645–653 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcn145 |pmc=2707347 |pmid=18708641}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hewitt |first=Terry |url=https://archive.org/details/completebookofca0000hewi_k2c7 |title=The complete book of cacti & succulents |date=1997 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0-7894-1657-5}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hoel |first=Erik |date=May 2021 |title=The overfitted brain: Dreams evolved to assist generalization |journal=Patterns |volume=2 |issue=5 |article-number=100244 |arxiv=2007.09560 |doi=10.1016/j.patter.2021.100244  |doi-access=free |pmc=8134940 |pmid=34036289}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hurkman |first=Alexis Van |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hm9VAgAAQBAJ |title=Color Correction Look Book: Creative Grading Techniques for Film and Video |date=2013 |publisher=Peachpit Press |isbn=978-0-13-381847-5}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hutchinson |first=Grant |date=24 June 1995 |title=Yoked Together |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29727695 |department=Words to the Wise |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=310 |issue=6995|jstor=29727695 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Hutton |first=Ronald |title=The witch: a history of fear, from ancient times to the present |date=2017 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300229042}}
* {{Cite web |last=Hyde |first=Deborah |date=13 January 2021 |title=Have We Seen the Last of the Vanishing Phantom Hitchhiker? |url=https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2021/01/have-we-seen-the-last-of-the-vanishing-phantom-hitchhiker/ |access-date=19 May 2024 |website=The Skeptic}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Iglesias |first1=Teresa L. |last2=Dornburg |first2=Alex |last3=Warren |first3=Dan L. |last4=Wainwright |first4=Peter C. |last5=Schmitz |first5=Lars |last6=Economo |first6=Evan P. |date=2018 |title=Eyes Wide Shut: the impact of dim-light vision on neural investment in marine teleosts |url=https://oist.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=818 |journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology |volume=31 |issue=8 |pages=1082–1092 |doi=10.1111/jeb.13299 |issn=1420-9101 |pmid=29808568 |s2cid=44161422}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Jacobs |first=Gerald H. |date=2009-10-12 |title=Evolution of colour vision in mammals |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=364 |issue=1531 |pages=2957–2967 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2009.0039 |issn=0962-8436 |pmc=2781854 |pmid=19720656}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Jenkins |first=Jerry Rafiki |date=Fall 2013 |title=Race, Freedom, and the Black Vampire in Jewelle Gomez's 'The Gilda Stories' |journal=African American Review |volume=46 |issue=2/3 |pages=313–328 |doi=10.1353/afa.2013.0060}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jordan |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqDC5bwx4_wC&dq=ratri+goddess&pg=PA264 |title=Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses |date=2014 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=9781438109855 |edition=Ebook}}
* {{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Osnat |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Day and night aren't equal length on an equinox – here's why |url=https://theconversation.com/day-and-night-arent-equal-length-on-an-equinox-heres-why-157273 |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=The Conversation}}
* {{Cite book |last=Keimig |first=Lance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VpmWRRCwEIcC&pg=PP1 |title=Night Photography: Finding your way in the dark |date=2012 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-09725-6 |language=en}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Kher |first1=Aparna |last2=Bikos |first2=Konstantin |date=n.d. |title=Twilight, Dawn, and Dusk |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/different-types-twilight.html |access-date=21 April 2024 |website=Time and Date |language=en}}
* {{Cite web |last=King |first=Jade |date=10 Mar 2023 |title=The Night Sky in Art |url=https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-night-sky-in-art |website=Art UK |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Klein |first=Cecelia |date=January 2000 |title=The Devil and the Skirt: an Iconographic Inquiry Into the Pre-Hispanic Nature of the Tzitzimime |journal=Ancient Mesoamerica |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S0956536100111010}}
* {{Cite book |last=Klein |first=Stefan |url=https://archive.org/details/timeusersguide0000klei |title=Time |publisher=Penguin |year=2008 |isbn=9780141034638 |page=20}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Konatham |first1=Samuel |last2=Martin-Torres |first2=Javier |last3=Zorzano |first3=Maria-Paz |date=September 2020 |title=Atmospheric composition of exoplanets based on the thermal escape of gases and implications for habitability |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |language=en |volume=476 |issue=2241 |bibcode=2020RSPSA.47600148K |doi=10.1098/rspa.2020.0148 |issn=1364-5021 |pmc=7544335 |pmid=33061789}}
* {{Cite book |last=Koslofsky |first=Craig |title=Evening's empire: a history of the night in early modern Europe |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-89643-6}}
* {{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Fritz |date=2015-10-24 |title=Silent Movies 101: Color Before Sound (And Why Colorization Is Not Always a Bad Thing) |url=https://moviessilently.com/2015/10/24/silent-movies-101-color-before-sound-and-why-colorization-is-not-always-a-bad-thing/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=Movies Silently}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Arun |title=Working at Night: The Temporal Organisation of Labour Across Political and Economic Regimes |date=2022 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH |isbn=978-3-11-075288-5 |editor-last=Duijzings |editor-first=Ger |chapter=The Nights of Bombay Workers (1870–1920) |editor-last2=Dušková |editor-first2=Lucie}}
* {{Cite web |last=Langley |first=Liz |date=February 3, 2021 |title=Echolocation is Nature's Built-in Sonar. Here's How It Works. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/echolocation-is-nature-built-in-sonar-here-is-how-it-works |website=National Geographic}}
* {{Cite book |last=Larsen |first=Nella |url=https://archive.org/details/quicksand00lars/page/63/mode/1up?q=%22Night+fell%2C+while+Helga%22&view=theater |title=Quicksand |date=1971 |publisher=Collier Books |lccn=70-146615}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Sherman E. |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffareast0000unse_i9c3 |title=A History of Far Eastern Art |date=1982 |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |location=New York |lccn=64-11575}}
* {{Cite web |last=Leitch |first=Carmen |date=13 April 2020 |title=Even Bacteria Align With the Daily Cycle of Day and Night |url=https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/17327/bacteria-align-daily-cycle-day-night |website=Labroots}}
* {{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Briley |date=5 April 2023 |title=Aliens could be hiding in 'terminator zones' on planets with eternal night |url=https://www.space.com/aliens-could-be-hiding-in-terminator-zones-on-planets-with-eternal-night |website=Space |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Lovett |first1=Brian |title=The Fungal Kingdom |last2=Leger |first2=Raymond St. J. |date=2018 |work=<!--book--> |publisher=American Society for Microbiology |volume=5 |chapter=The Insect Pathogens |doi=10.1128/microbiolspec.FUNK-0001-2016 |pmc=11687457 |pmid=28256192 |issue=2}}
* {{Cite web |last=Lunar Planetary Institute |date=n.d. |title=Day and Night |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/day_night/ |access-date=18 May 2024 |website=Sky Tellers |publisher=Universities Space Research Association}}
* {{Cite web |last=Lutz |first=C. Greg |date=n.d. |title=Louisiana Fisheries - Fact Sheets |url=https://www.lsu.edu/seagrantfish/resources/factsheets/algae.htm |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=Sea Grant |publisher=Louisiana State University}}
* {{Cite web |last=Maestri |first=Nicoletta |date=3 July 2019 |title=Tezcatlipoca: Aztec God of Night and Smoking Mirrors |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/tezcatlipoca-aztec-god-of-night-172964 |access-date=18 May 2024 |website=ThoughtCo}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Margot |first1=Jean-Luc |last2=Campbell |first2=Donald B. |last3=Giorgini |first3=Jon D. |last4=Jao |first4=Joseph S. |last5=Snedeker |first5=Lawrence G. |last6=Ghigo |first6=Frank D. |last7=Bonsall |first7=Amber |date=29 April 2021 |title=Spin state and moment of inertia of Venus |journal=Nature Astronomy |volume=5 |issue=7 |pages=676–683 |arxiv=2103.01504 |bibcode=2021NatAs...5..676M |doi=10.1038/s41550-021-01339-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Marie-Charlotte von Lehsten |title=The values of nighttime in classical antiquity: between dusk and dawn |date=2020 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-43557-5 |editor-last=Ker |editor-first=James |series=Mnemosyne supplements |chapter=Tragedy of Darkness: The Role of Night in Euripides' Rhesus |editor-last2=Wessels |editor-first2=Antje}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Mason |first=W. A. |date=May 1933 |title=Twilight |magazine=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |volume=59 |issue=363 |issn=0041-798X}}
* {{Cite web |last=McClure |first=Bruce |date=19 March 2024 |title=On the equinox, are day and night equal? |url=https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/equal-day-and-night-on-the-equinox-march/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=EarthSky}}
* {{Cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |date=18 September 1999 |title=The Vanishing Hitchhiker |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-vanishing-hitchhiker/ |access-date=19 May 2024 |website=Snopes |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Doug |last2=Denis |first2=Eric Joy |date=April 2014 |title=Sexual Orientation and Fear at Night: Gender Differences Among Sexual Minorities and Heterosexuals |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=453–470 |doi=10.1080/00918369.2013.834212|pmid=24313891 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Moorcroft |first=William H. |title=Understanding Sleep and Dreaming |date=2005 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4614-6466-2 |edition=Second}}
* {{Cite web |last=Mulvaney |first=Kieran |date=20 April 2024 |title=What is polar night? |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/polar-night-arctic-antarctic |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Nofre |first=Jordi |date=26 November 2021 |title=The Touristification of Nightlife: Some Theoretical Notes |journal=Urban Geography |volume=42 |issue=10 |pages=1552–1561 |doi=10.1080/02723638.2020.1855002 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10362/108720}}
* {{Cite book |last=Oldenburg |first=Ray |url=https://archive.org/details/greatgoodplaceca00olde_2 |title=The Great Good Place |date=1999 |publisher=Marlowe |isbn=978-1-56924-681-8}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Ostling |first1=Michael |last2=Forest |first2=Richard |date=2014-10-02 |title='Goblins, owles and sprites': Discerning early-modern English preternatural beings through collocational analysis |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0048721X.2014.886631 |journal=Religion |language=en |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=547–572 |doi=10.1080/0048721X.2014.886631 |issn=0048-721X|url-access=subscription }}
* {{Cite web |last=Ottewell |first=Guy |date=14 June 2019 |title=The Undark Nights of Summer |url=https://earthsky.org/earth/the-undark-nights-of-summer-guy-ottewell/ |access-date=21 April 2024 |website=EarthSky}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pasarić |first=Maja |title=Werewolf Histories |date=2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-52634-2 |editor-last=de Blécourt |editor-first=William |pages=238–256 |chapter=Dead Bodies and Transformations: Werewolves in Some South Slavic Folk Traditions |doi=10.1007/978-1-137-52634-2_11 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-137-52634-2_11}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Aakash K. |last2=Reddy |first2=Vamsi |last3=Shumway |first3=Karlie R. |last4=Araujo |first4=John F. |date=2024 |title=Physiology, Sleep Stages |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/ |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=30252388 |access-date=18 April 2024 |website=StatPearls}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Pennisi |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Benthe |first2=H. F. |last3=Haberland |first3=G. |date=7 May 2021 |title=Fatal attraction to light at night pummels insects |journal=Science |volume=372 |issue=6542 |pages=556–557 |bibcode=2021Sci...372..556P |doi=10.1126/science.372.6542.556 |pmid=33958456}}
* {{Cite web |last=Plait |first=Phil |date=July 21, 2023 |title=Earthshine Lights up the 'Dark Side' of the Moon |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earthshine-lights-up-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/ |website=Scientific American}}
* {{Cite web |last=Planetary Society |date=n.d. |title=The Terrestrial Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, The Moon, and Mars |url=http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/compare_the_planets/terrestrial.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728044444/http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/compare_the_planets/terrestrial.html |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |access-date=April 12, 2007 |website=Space Topics}}
* {{Cite book |last=Poole |first=H.W. |title=Nighttime Fears |date=2017 |publisher=Mason Crest |others=Anne S. Walters (series consultant) |isbn=978-1-4222-8060-7}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Pooth |first=Roland A. |date=23 December 2015 |title=Proto-Indo-European Nominal Morphology. Part 1. The Noun |journal=Language Arts 1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rabiger |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJ3cAwAAQBAJ |title=Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics |date=2014 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-136-06686-3 |language=en}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Ransom |first=Amy J. |date=2015 |title=The Changing Shape of a Shape-Shifter |journal=Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts |volume=25 |issue=2 |jstor=26321112}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Read |first=Paul |date=2009 |title='Unnatural Colours': An introduction to Colouring Techniques in Silent Era Movies |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27670755 |journal=Film History |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=7–46 |doi=10.2979/FIL.2009.21.1.9 |issn=0892-2160 |jstor=27670755}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |chapter=Fear of Walking Alone at Night |publisher=Springer |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1023 |last=Roberts |first=Bejamin James |title=Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research |date=1 January 2024 |pages=2452–2455|doi=10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1023 |isbn=978-94-007-0752-8 }}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Rowe |first1=David |last2=Bavinton |first2=Nathaniel |date=December 2011 |title=Tender for the night: After-dark cultural complexities in the night-time economy |journal=Continuum |volume=25 |issue=6 |pages=811–825 |doi=10.1080/10304312.2011.617875}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Rzepińska |first1=Maria |last2=Malcharek |first2=Krystyna |date=1986 |title=Tenebrism in Baroque Painting and Its Ideological Background |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1483250 |journal=Artibus et Historiae |volume=7 |issue=13 |pages=91–112 |doi=10.2307/1483250 |issn=0391-9064 |jstor=1483250|url-access=subscription }}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Scialdone |first1=Antonio |last2=Howard |first2=Martin |date=31 March 2015 |title=How plants manage food reserves at night: quantitative models and open questions |journal=Frontiers in Plant Science |volume=6 |page=204 |doi=10.3389/fpls.2015.00204 |pmc=4379750 |pmid=25873925 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2015FrPS....6..204S }}
* {{Cite web |last=Shen |first=Li |date=9 July 2012 |title=Night Vision: How Animals See in the Dark |url=https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/night-vision-how-animals-see |website=The Outside Story}}
* {{Cite web |last=Shubinski |first=Raymond |date=9 November 2023 |title=Discover the Three Kinds of Twilight |url=https://www.astronomy.com/observing/twilights-glow-is-calling/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=Astronomy Magazine}}
* {{Cite book |last=Skeat |first=Walter W. |url=https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00skeauoft/ |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language |date=1888 |publisher=Oxford Clarendon Press}}
* {{Cite news |last=Sokol |first=Joshua |date=19 January 2023 |title=Light pollution is drowning the starry night sky faster than thought |work=Science |doi=10.1126/science.adg7722}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Steiger |first1=Walter R. |url=http://www.cso.caltech.edu/outreach/log/NIGHT_DAY/index.html |title=Night and Day |last2=Bunton |first2=George W. |date=1995 |publisher=California Institute of Technology}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199571123.001.0001/m_en_gb0558100 |title=Oxford English Dictionary |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford Univervsity Press |isbn=978-0-191-72766-5 |editor-last=Stevenson |editor-first=Angus |edition=3rd}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_PMFwC1gP0BkC |title=The Meeting of Eastern and Western Art |date=1989 |publisher=University of California |isbn=978-0-520-05902-3 |edition=Second |location=Berkley}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Svedhem |first1=Hakan |last2=Titov |first2=Dmitry V. |last3=Taylor |first3=Fredric V. |last4=Witasse |first4=Oliver |date=2007 |title=Venus as a more Earth-like planet |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=450 |issue=7170 |pages=629–632 |bibcode=2007Natur.450..629S |doi=10.1038/nature06432 |pmid=18046393 |s2cid=1242297}}
* UCSB (2015). {{Cite web |title=If you wanted to enjoy longer periods of daylight in the summertime would you head closer to the equator or farther from it? |url=http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=5017 |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=Science Line |publisher=University of California Santa Barbara |ref={{sfnref|UCSB|2015}} }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnref|"Venus, Backwards"|n.d.}} |title=Venus, Backwards Rotation and Orbital Period |date=n.d. |work=Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy |access-date=22 April 2025 |url=https://www.aeronomie.be/en/encyclopedia/venus-backwards-rotation-and-orbital-period}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Vorster |first=Albrecht P. |last2=Born |first2=Jan |date=March 2015 |title=Sleep and Memory in Mammals, Birds and Invertebrates |journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews |volume=50 |pages=103–119 |doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.020 |pmid=25305058 |doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite web |last=Walla |first=Emily |date=10 April 2019 |title=Powerful Particles and Tugging Tides May Affect Extraterrestrial Life |url=https://news.arizona.edu/story/powerful-particles-and-tugging-tides-may-affect-extraterrestrial-life |website=University of Arizona News |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Watkins |first=Calvert |url=https://archive.org/details/watkinsamericanheritagedictionaryofindoeuropeanroots1985 |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots |date=1985 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-36070-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Weekley |first=Ernest |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VigsBojU2c4C |title=An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English |date=2012 |volume=2|publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-12286-1 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Kathryn |title=The values of nighttime in classical antiquity: between dusk and dawn |date=2020 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-43557-5 |editor-last=Ker |editor-first=James |series=Mnemosyne supplements |chapter=The Astronomer-Poet at Night: The Evolution of a Motif |editor-last2=Wessels |editor-first2=Antje}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Wishnitzer |first=Avner |author-link=Avner Wishnitzer |date=August 2014 |title=Into the Dark: Power, Light, and Nocturnal Life in 18th-Century Istanbul |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=513–531 |doi=10.1017/S0020743814000579}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Night-article.ogg|date=2006-12-10}}
* {{commons category-inline|Night}}
* {{wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline|night}}
* [https://nightologists.hypotheses.org/ International Night Studies Network]

{{Parts of a day}}
{{Portal bar|Earth sciences|Weather|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System|Science}}
{{Authority control}}

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