Sun + Moon Path Planner
Solar & Lunar Positions
Date & Time
Direction Compass
Face north, then look in the direction shown
30°
day
7°
Waxing Crescent
Location
📍 Your position determines azimuth and elevation angles.
Celestial Coordinates
Sun
Moon
Best Dark Sky Nights
Next 14 days ranked by darkness for astrophotography
Next Best Night
13 days
Fri, Feb 6
Fri, Feb 6
Moderate moonlight
53%
dark
Thu, Feb 5
Moderate moonlight
49%
dark
Wed, Feb 4
Moderate moonlight
45%
dark
Tue, Feb 3
Moderate moonlight
43%
dark
Mon, Feb 2
Moderate moonlight
41%
dark
📸 Photography Tips
Golden Hour: 1 hr after sunrise / before sunset.
Blue Hour: 20-40 min before sunrise / after sunset.
Moon Shots: Best during civil twilight.
How It Works
☀️ Solar Position
Uses NOAA/Meeus algorithms: mean anomaly → true anomaly → apparent longitude → equatorial coordinates via obliquity.
🌙 Lunar Position
Simplified ELP terms for ecliptic lon/lat, converted through mean obliquity, projected via local sidereal time.
📅 Moon Phase Data
Uses IAU astronomical constants (Meeus algorithms). Pure math - no API needed. Accurate for any date.
alt = arcsin(sinφ·sinδ + cosφ·cosδ·cosHA)
az = arctan2(sinHA, cosHA·sinφ - tanδ·cosφ)