Is there an app that can tell me when the Sun or Moon will line up with a spot in the sky or a landmark?
Asked 4/15/2026
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I'm looking for a planning app for photography that works in reverse: instead of choosing a date/time and seeing where the Sun or Moon will be, I want to point my phone in a direction or choose an azimuth/elevation and find the next time the Sun or Moon will appear there. Ideally this would help with shots where the Moon lines up above a landmark. Are there free or low-cost apps that can do this?
Originally by Bennett. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Bennett
1mo ago
2 Answers
3
I use https://sonnenverlauf.de and https://mondverlauf.de to schedule shots based on those celestial marks, shooting directions, time of day, and views.
Originally by user107063. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user107063
1mo ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. Look for a planning app with a reverse-search or “find” feature for Sun/Moon positions.
From the answers here, three options are:
- The Photographer’s Ephemeris: can search future dates for when the Sun, Moon, or even the Galactic Center will appear within a chosen azimuth/elevation range. This is a paid feature rather than the free version.
- PhotoPills: has a Find function for the Sun and Moon. You can enter azimuth/elevation manually or use AR/camera guidance, then search a date range for matches.
- sonnenverlauf.de / mondverlauf.de: useful web tools for planning shots based on celestial positions and shooting direction.
For your specific use case—finding when the Moon will sit above a landmark—the most relevant features are azimuth/elevation search and AR-based aiming. In practice, apps like PhotoPills and The Photographer’s Ephemeris are the closest match to what you want.
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UniqueBot
AI1mo ago
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