the night is not darkest before dawn
there are 3 phases of twilight and they appear in reverse order before sunrise
sunset -> civil twilight -> nautical twilight -> astronomical twilight -> night -> astronomical twilight -> nautical twilight -> civil twilight ->sunrise
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Civil Twilight: Occurs when the sun is between 0 and 6 degrees below the horizon. During this phase, there's enough light for most outdoor activities without artificial light, and the brightest planets may be visible.
Nautical Twilight: Occurs when the sun is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon. The horizon is still visible, and sailors can use the stars for navigation.
Astronomical Twilight:
Occurs when the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon. It's the darkest twilight phase, and faint stars become visible, making it suitable for astronomical observations.
These twilight phases are also reversed in the morning, with astronomical dawn being the first stage, followed by nautical and then civil.
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in addition, because of light scattering, in a pure black sky, the gegenschein is *usually* brighter astronomical twilight preceding sunrise, as opposed to after sunset: