Category Archives: Candle lighting
When does Shabbat begin?
Shabbat begins 18 minutes before sundown on Friday night. In Jerusalem, Shabbat begins 40 minutes before sundown.
What is Havdalah (or, When does Shabbat end)?
Shabbat ends after sundown on Saturday night when there are three stars visible. Depending on latitude and longitude, this is usually between 42 and 72 minutes after sundown.
If I use 72 minutes for Havdalah, why are Havdalah times ~90 minutes later than the previous day’s candle-lighting time?
Shabbat begins 18 minutes before sundown on Friday night. Havdalah is 72 minutes after sundown on Saturday night. So in a given week, Havdalah time is typically 90 minutes after the previous day’s candle-lighting time (18 + 72 = 90). … Continue reading
How accurate are candle lighting times?
Hebcal computes sunset based on an algorithm provided by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO). The USNO claims accuracy within 2 minutes except at extreme northern or southern latitudes. Comparison to local NWS charts for sunrise and sunset (which are cheap … Continue reading
How are candle lighting times determined from my zip code?
Since candle lighting times are determined from latitude and longitude, a process called geocoding is used to determine the geographic position of a zip code. Your zip code is looked up in a geocoded database of about 42,000 zip codes … Continue reading
What cities outside of the USA are available?
Candle-lighting and Havdalah times are available for the following 54 cities: Ashdod (31d48′ N lat, 34d38′ E long, GMT +2:00, israel) Atlanta (33d45′ N lat, 84d23′ W long, GMT -5:00, usa) Austin (30d16′ N lat, 97d45′ W long, GMT -6:00, … Continue reading
How can I look up candle-lighting times for any city in the world?
Example: how to find candle-lighting times for San Jose, Costa Rica. Go to the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names at http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/ Type “San Jose” in the Find box and click “Search” button Click on the link that says “San Jose, … Continue reading