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Revision as of 21:17, 19 July 2003 by Patrick (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Night is the time when a location is facing away from the Sun, and thus dark. On Earth, it is night on just under half the planet at any time. (The atmosphere refracts sunlight in such a way that some of it reaches the ground even when the sun is below the horizon.) When it is night on one side of the planet, it is day on the other side. Because of the rotation of Earth about its axis it is alternately day and night, together 24 hours, with long days in summer and long nights in winter. This does not apply near the poles. On the poles the period is one year due to the rotation of the earth about the sun. Near the poles there is every year one very long "day", one very long "night", and the rest of the year one day and night every 24 hours, though during the summer part of that with long days and during the winter part with long nights,
Throughout most of history, night was primarily a time of rest, because little work can be done in the dark. As artificial lighting has improved, night-time activity has increased and become a significant part of the economy in many places.
Even without artificial light, moonlight sometimes makes it possible to travel or work outdoors at night.
Night is often associated with danger, because bandits and dangerous animals can be concealed by darkness. The belief in magic often includes the idea that magic, or magicians, are more powerful at night. Similarly, vampires and werewolves are associated with night.