
Sunsets near the equator #AtoZChallenge
“Are you dreaming? Stop dreaming; come and watch the sunset, it is better than all the dreams!”
— Mehmet Murat ildan
Sunsets near the equator come and go quickly. A few minutes after the sun begins coloring the ocean and sky, it has set. Dusk lasts a few moments, then it is dark.
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November 9 |
The sun sets almost perpendicular to the horizon instead of diagonally as seen closer to the north and south poles. The further north or south you go from the equator, the longer a sunset will last.
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March 12 |
The north and south movement of the sun throughout the year is quite evident near the equator. These pictures are from the same hill in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador throughout the year.
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August 5 |
Thought I would add one sunset photo from the beach.
How long is your sunset?
If you are visiting from the #AtoZChallenge please include your blog link in a comment so I can check it out.


40 Comments
Judy Rinehimer
I have learned something new about sunsets and I almost chose that as my A to Z Challenge letter of the day theme for the day. I LOVE sunset photos and last year I participated in a different Nature photo challenge on Facebook and posted 10 days of sunset photos, mainly from the Southwest or our California foothills.
Emily Bloomquist
How fun that you posted 10 days of sunset photos. Sunsets in both the Southwest and California can be incredible – I am sure that you had some great photos.
Molly of Molly's Canopy
Mesmerizing photos! So different from our sunsets in New York City, which are mainly framed against the urban skyline — or the NJ palisades, if you are on the banks of the Hudson River. I must pay more attention to the north-south movement of the sunsets, though it is not as dramatic as in your photos.
Emily Bloomquist
The north-south movement is what really interested me when we moved to Ecuador. Having the sun pass the equator twice a year on it's way north and south makes the movement pronounced. Since it is south of you all year, you should notice less movement but I think you will still see it.
Deborah Weber
Such gorgeous photos! The pinky-purples delight me so, and I don't often see them in Chicago.
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Deborah – I love the pinky-purples, too!
Nick Wilford
Definitely beautiful, even if it's only brief!
Emily Bloomquist
Something we try not to miss!
Keith's Ramblings
Simply gorgeous. I'm bathed in the sinking sun as I write this. Here, it lasts for up to an hour, constantly deepening. But I've not seen such dramatic colours as those in your pictures.
Amble Bay's fabulous shops!
Emily Bloomquist
That must be wonderful. I remember long sunsets and shifting colors in the sky as the sun slowly went down. I do love the dramatic colors near the equator. I click away during the sunsets then find out what the photos look like later, hoping I captured some of the colors.
Arti Jain
I love sunsets and sunrises, too.
Luckily, I'm an early riser, so I can enjoy both when we're on holiday.
Sunrises in the Gulf are stunning, showy affairs. Sunsets are lovely, too. But, for me, it's the moon in the desert sky that blows my socks off. It's beautiful.
Like your beach pic:)
S is for Silver Serendipity
Emily Bloomquist
Sunrises in the Gulf sound glorious! Photos of moons in desert skies always look amazing. I will have to try to get there to see both.
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Hi Emily – I'll follow Keith's views above as he's just east along the coast … we do have some lovely soft times in summer as the sun slowly sets across the English landscape … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/s-for-sheep.html
Emily Bloomquist
Ah Hilary, You also had the long colorful sunset lasting forever (or so it seems to me). Lovely! 🙂
FinnBadger
Beautiful sunset photos – and a great word for S. Sunset can take a little while here. I pay more attention to where the sun hits the windows at home depending on time of year.
Phillip | S is for Solar System
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Phillip. Sunsets reflecting off windows can be beautiful!
Josie Two Shoes
Such gorgeous photos, and I learned a little bit about sunsets at the equator and how it differs from where I live in West Texas. The sunsets here are amazing too because our land is so flat and the horizon so wide !
Emily Bloomquist
With the wide horizon, I imagine you see some amazing colors with your sunsets!
Kalpanaa M
What absolutely lovely sunsets. Fascinating how the sunsets in November, March and August are at different points in the horizon.
Scenes from a Marriage #Lexicon of Leaving
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Kalpanaa! I love watching the movement of the sun throughout the year as it passes the equator then goes north or south.
Patricia Lynne
Those are beautiful pictures. I think sunsets are my favorite to watch.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Patricia. They are one of my favorites, too.
Dena Pawling
Beautiful sunset photos!
Dena
https://denapawling.blogspot.com/2017/04/s-is-for-suicide.html
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Dena!
moon
Beautiful sunset photos, Emily . In your photos, I can see the nature lover in you .
Best wishes,
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Moon. I do have mainly nature photos since it is what I enjoy the most.
Sandra Williamson
How long is our sunset? In the outback of Australia the change from day to night can almost be instant during certain times of the year. At other times the sunsets can last much longer. It's beautiful to watch a sunset where ever you are. Good for the soul. Thanks for sharing.
Sandra dropping by from the A to Z Challenge
———-
Sandra, Aspiring family historian, fellow participant in the #AtoZchallenge
Sandra's Ancestral Research Journal
Emily Bloomquist
I agree, Sandra, watching sunsets is good for the soul!
Kristin
My days and sunsets in Atlanta are shorter than they were in Northern Michigan, but nothing like being on the equator. I was in Norway one summer and it never quite got dark except for short time.
Finding Eliza
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks for sharing, Kristin. Atlanta and Northern are pretty far apart so I can see how you would notice the difference. I was in Alaska one June and had the same almost all daylight experience. It was good that my hotel had blackout shades or I am not sure if I would have slept.
A Tarkabarka Hölgy
Gorgeous pictures! Sunsets are probably the number one reason I'd enjoy living by the ocean…
(Also, I blogged about folktales from Ecuador today! 🙂 )
The Multicolored Diary: WTF – Weird Things in Folktales
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Zalka. It is one of the things I love about it, too.
Fun folktales from Ecuador on your post! Way to find your way through a phonetically written Spanish book to figure the tales out, too.
Cathy Kennedy
Emily, thank you for popping in for Saturday's Art Sketching Through the Alphabet “S” (Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs). I live in the eastern part of the USA. I've not timed our sunsets but they are longer than yours. I did not know the closer you got to the poles that the sun's decent is quicker. You captured some excellent shots. The last picture on the beach is great with the hut in the shadows leading one's eyes to the gorgeous orange glow of the sun – beautiful job! We're in the home stretch of the A2Z challenge. I hope you'll continue to join me the rest of the week. 🙂
Emily Bloomquist
I did not know how quickly the sun set at the equator until I lived here, either, Cathy. That last photo had to find a way into this post – it is my favorite one. Thanks so much and I'll stop by again today 🙂
Arlee Bird
I remember thinking about the sunsets when I was in Ecuador, but I don't remember any sunsets. I guess they came and went so fast they were barely noticeable.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Emily Bloomquist
They do happen so quickly they are easy to miss if you are not looking. Many times, one will begin and I won't have time to run inside for my camera before it is gone.
Donna B. McNicol
Beautiful photos! Living in Cuenca, in the middle of the Andes Mountains, we rarely saw a pretty sunset. But when we did, it was spectacular. In the US, Arizona seems to have the best sunset (other than ocean settings).
DB McNicol | Oh, the places we will go! | Tennessee & Texas
Emily Bloomquist
I do love Arizona sunsets – amazing colors in the desert. Since I am in Cuenca now, I can imagine how spectacular they can be over the mountains. Hope to see a great one before we head back to the coast!
Nilanjana Bose
Love the sunset photos! Lovely.
Emily Bloomquist
Thank you Nilanjana!