For panos, shoot manual mode.  Establish an exposure and shoot all the frames at the same exposure. If the camera compensates for exposure differences across the field of view, stitching will be compromised.

Use a tripod.  

Use a relatively long lens, say 50mm equivalent or longer.  You can shoot wider, but you can create stitching probems resulting from parallax errors with objects close to the lens.

Conventional wisdom says that sunsets often peak in visual appeal about 20 minutes after actual "clock" sunset.


Good shooting.

Peter

Hi,
Just a quick question from a new bee --
I've been taking some sunset photos in the Florida -- St. Johns area with a Nikon D70 and just wanted to ask for any advise as to the best set-up for my camera. Specifically, I wait just until the sun disappears when the sky looks like it's on fire and the sky is reflecting in the water. Also, I'm taking a series of photos (approx. 15) that are stitched together for panoramic images. Also using either its stock lens or a 60mm f/2.8D.
Thanks!