Dawn is the time each morning when darkness fades and light gradually fills the sky before the sun rises. During dawn, the sky transforms from black to deep blue to pink and orange, painting clouds in brilliant colors. Photographers love capturing dawn because the soft, angled light creates magical scenes.

People have always noticed this special moment: farmers traditionally began work at dawn to use every hour of daylight, and many religious traditions include dawn prayers or rituals.

Dawn can also mean the beginning or first appearance of something. We might say that the dawn of the internet age changed how people communicate, or that a scientific discovery marked the dawn of modern medicine. When understanding finally comes to someone, we say that realization dawned on them, like light breaking through darkness.

The opposite of dawn is dusk, when daylight fades into evening.