Want to know the current phase of the Moon at all times? Perhaps you need to do some stargazing or astrophotography, or you really need to debunk some nonsense theories about full Moon madness… then check out our handy mobile app – available on iPhone or Android.
We’ve just done a major update to the app, extending the support to iPhone, and completely rebuilding the Android edition to be smoother and more stable on the wide range of devices.
This latest version of the app is running a full model of the Moon’s orbit and phases, displaying a scientifically accurate simulation of the Moon’s exact phase, size, distance and amount of illumination.
You can swipe the Moon back and forth to see how the Moon’s distance and illumination change over time, or jump to the next full Moon, or see the Moon’s phase at any point in the future. The Android version is especially smooth, and kind of hypnotic as you change the phase.
Here are the features:
- Beautiful images of the Moon were made by NASA from data collected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
- Full internal simulation of the Moon’s position and phase. See the current date, phase name, distance and illumination percentage.
- Swipe left and right to move forward or backwards in time to see what the Moon will look like in the future or past.
- Click a button to take you to the next full Moon.
- You can also access a calendar that shows you the phase of the Moon for any date in the future.
You can purchase a copy for $.99 on either Google Play or the iTunes Store, and help support Universe Today.
Personally, the small screen on my ipod makes my dozen or so astromomy apps somewhat…unexciting.
I posted these two links quite a while ago for FREE amazing interactive orrerys, which are quite mezmerizing on a laptop screen or desktop.
The first one can be downloaded as a screensaver, too!
They’ve both been around for quite a while, so the bugs have all been worked out.
http://dd.dynamicdiagrams.com/2011/01/orrery-movie/
http://www.solarsystemscope.com/
I use Lunafaqt. Free (with ads) but there is a widget and no ads on the widget. Only when you need to look at the calendar or more details on the phase (distance, azimuth, altitude, age, etc) will you see the ads. Fraser, if your app comes with a widget displaying the phase, rise and set of both moon and sun and percentage fullness of the moon, then I’ll buy yours.
We’ve got distance, and % illuminated right now. Moon rise/set times will be coming in the next update. For Android, the cool part, IMO is how smoothly you can drag the terminator back and forth – it’s really beautiful. It’s a shame that iOS doesn’t offer widgets and dynamic wallpapers.
Want to know the current phase of the Moon at all times?
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