The Time of Day
IN the morning / afternoon / evening
AT night
Sunset and Sunrise
When the sun is setting (going down) or rising (going up) you can call these times sunset and sunrise. Sunset is right before twilight, when the sky starts to turn pink and orange but is not dark yet. Sunrise happens when the sun starts to come up in the morning (after morning twilight happens) and has the same orange and pink colors as sunset.
“Let’s climb the mountain before sunrise so we can watch the sun come up.”
Twilight
“Twilight /ˈtwaɪ.laɪt/” may just be a popular book and movie series to some people, however twilight is actually the time when the sun is barely (very slightly or very little) lighting up the sky. This is usually right before the sun rises or right after the sun sets. The best way to remember this time is that it is in-between when one day is ending and when the new day is starting, and the sky has a blue or purple tint (slight color).
“I love the way that the trees look at twilight.”
The Crack of Dawn
The actual time for the crack of dawn is when you first start seeing light in the sky, but the sun is not visible yet. People often use this term for waking up before the sun, or just very early, around 4:00 and 6:00 in the morning.
“If we want to beat the traffic tomorrow we will need to wake up at the crack of dawn.”
Midday
This sometimes means the same thing as noon, because noon is in the middle of the day. Midday can also be any time between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
This is basically when people begin and finish eating lunch (meaning the middle of the day).
“It is supposed to be very hot and sunny today at midday.”
Noon
Noon means 12:00 p.m., at the very beginning of the afternoon.
“Around noon, so we can sleep in.”
Afternoon
Because this phrase means “after noon passes” it is really versatile. This can be any time between noon (12:00 p.m.) and before the sun sets (usually around 6:00 p.m.). If you do not live on the equator, the time of the sunset is always changing with the seasons. Sunset might be at 4:00 p.m. in the winter and 9:00 p.m. in the summer. This means that “afternoon” can be shorter or longer depending on the season.
“I’m busy all afternoon so let’s have dinner together tonight.”
After Dark
The time of day that is after dark is usually between 9:00 at night and 1:00 in the morning, or even later. It can also be a phrase for when nightlife starts in a city, and people go out to drink or dance when the sun has set completely. A good way to remember this time is that if most people are asleep or going to sleep soon, it is after dark.
“Have you ever been to LA after dark?”
“No, but I heard that it gets crazy.”
Midnight
Midnight means the middle of the night. However, now many people use it to mean 12:00 in the morning (12:00 a.m.), when the next day begins.
The phrase midnight hours refers to any time between 12:00 a.m. and 3:00 in the morning (3:00 a.m.).
“People kiss on New Years Eve at midnight.”
(Source https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/how-to-tell-time-in-english/)