Moon Phase

What it does

Shows the moon phase for tonight or any date, with a calendar of the whole month and a list of every Full Moon in a year. Useful for planning dark-sky shoots around a new moon, or a full moon rise.

What you need

The phase, calendar, and Full Moon list work without a location. Moonrise, moonset, the moon's dome, and the View on Map link need one. Set it with the Location control at the top. Everything is calculated on your device.

How to use it

1. Read the top card for the phase of the selected date.
2. Above the drag ruler, choose Hours or Days. Hours (the default) moves the time through the moon's pass in 10-minute steps; Days changes the date. You can also change the date with the date field or by tapping a day in the calendar. The button beside the date field reads Now in Hours mode and Today in Days mode, and returns you there. Without a location there is no Hours mode, and the ruler changes the date.
3. Use the arrows above the calendar to browse other months. Browsing does not change the selected date until you tap a day.
4. Use the arrows on Full Moons of the Year to change the year.

Reading the results

• Phase label: the phase name and the percent of the moon lit, for example "Full Moon · 99%". The quarters read First Quarter · Waxing and Last Quarter · Waning. On a Full Moon it also shows the folklore name, and Blue Moon when it is the second Full Moon of a calendar month.
• Lunar age: how many days into the 29.5-day lunar cycle the moon is.
• Dome: the moon's pass across the sky, from moonrise to moonset, with the moon at its position for the time shown. Moonrise and Moonset sit at the two ends with their times, and read None when the moon does not rise or set in that pass. A pill between them gives a countdown such as "Rises in" or "Sets in", reads "Up all day" or "Down all day" when there is no rise or set, or shows the time you moved the ruler to. Without a location, the screen asks you to set one in Settings to see when the moon rises and sets.
• Calendar: each day shows its moon image. A dot in the corner marks a Full Moon, and a blue dot marks a Blue Moon. Today has an outline, and the selected day is filled.
• Full Moons of the Year: each Full Moon's folklore name and date in your location's time zone, with "Blue Moon" noted where it applies. The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon nearest the September equinox, and the Hunter's Moon is the one after it, so they do not always fall in September and October.

Live Activity countdown

The Live Activity card counts down to the next moonrise or moonset. Under Count down to, choose Moonrise, Moonset, or Next (whichever comes first). It needs a location. It is part of Pro and only on iPhone. Tap Start countdown to put it on your Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhones that have one. On the Free plan the button reads Start countdown (Pro) and opens the upgrade screen. Tap Stop countdown to end it. Changing a choice while it runs restarts it with the new choice. It only starts when you tap Start with the app open, replaces any other countdown that is running, and iOS ends it after about 8 hours. Settings, Notifications, Live Activities shows what is running and lets you stop it.

Tips

• On iPhone, a compass card under the location shows your live heading and tells you which way to turn to face the moon, for example "Turn left to face the moon". When you are pointed at it, it reads "Moon is straight ahead" and the card's border lights up. When the moon is down it says it is below the horizon. It shows on any date, always pointing at where the moon is right now, and carries a small Now label to say so. If it shows Tap for live heading, tap it to start; if it shows Allow location in Settings, location access is off. It is not shown on web.
• Tap View on Map to open Location Planner at your location and the selected date, with the moon direction shown.