# How Homey implements SUNSET and SUNRISE?

**URL:** <https://community.homey.app/t/how-homey-implements-sunset-and-sunrise/151358>\
**Category:** Flows\
**Tags:** flow, homey-pro, advancedflow\
**Created:** [February 19, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-homey-implements-sunset-and-sunrise/151358 "2026-02-19T16:28:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 18

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**Author:** ![Doekse](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/doekse/32/109415_2.png) [@Doekse](https://community.homey.app/u/Doekse)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-homey-implements-sunset-and-sunrise/151358/18 "2026-02-21T14:05:58Z")

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Good question, the difference is between dawn/dusk and sunset/sunrise. Let me explain;

After sunrise and after sunset are based on the exact moment the sun crosses the horizon.  
So:

- After sunrise = from the moment the sun rises until it sets
- After sunset = from the moment the sun sets until it rises again

That’s purely based on the sun being above or below the horizon, being 0°.

Daytime is slightly different. That one is based on civil twilight _(civiele schemering in Dutch 😉 )_. Homey defines daytime as the period between dawn and dusk, where dawn is when the sun is 6° below the horizon in the morning, and dusk is when it’s 6° below the horizon in the evening.

That means:

- Daytime starts a bit before the actual sunrise
- Daytime ends a bit after the actual sunset

So “_daytime_” is always slightly longer than the period between sunrise and sunset.

In practice:  
If you want something to follow the exact sun-up / sun-down moment, use sunrise/sunset.  
If you want it to follow when there’s already _(or still)_ natural light outside, daytime is usually the better choice.

I hope that explains it!

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