Evening

[3] The Encyclopædia Britannica defines evening as varying according to daylight and lifestyle, but says that many people consider it to begin at 5 p.m.[4] In a social context, the Oxford English Dictionary defines evening as "the time from about 6 p.m., or sunset if earlier".

Despite the less favorable lighting conditions for optical astronomy, evening can be useful for observing objects orbiting close to the Sun.

Evening (and morning) serves as the optimum time for viewing the inferior planets Venus and Mercury.

[5] It is a popular time to hunt for comets, as their tails grow more prominent as these objects draw closer to the Sun.

[7] In mid-latitudes, spring evenings around the time of the equinox―that is, the March one in the Northern Hemisphere and the September equinox to the south of the equator―are favorable for viewing the zodiacal light.