Moon Position Map
See the Moon-up hemisphere live on a world map, with the sublunar point, current phase, illumination and distance. Click anywhere for the Moon's altitude and approximate rise/set times.
Click the map for the Moon's current altitude and approximate rise/set times at that point.
Truncated lunar theory — position good to a few arc-minutes, rise/set sampled every 10 minutes and marked approximate. Fine for planning, not navigation.
How to use this tool
Watch the live Moon-up hemisphere and the current phase.
Click any point for the Moon's altitude there right now.
Read the approximate moonrise and moonset for that point.
What people use this tool for
Is the Moon up over my campsite tonight?
Planning night photography around moonrise
How it's calculated
A truncated lunar theory (Paul Schlyter's algorithm) gives geocentric right ascension, declination and distance; combined with Greenwich sidereal time this yields the sublunar point. The highlighted hemisphere is the 90° region around it where the Moon is above the horizon. Moonrise/moonset are found by sampling altitude every 10 minutes over the UTC day and are labelled approximate.
Related tools and resources
Frequently asked questions
What is the sublunar point?
The place on Earth where the Moon is directly overhead (at the zenith) right now.
How accurate is the Moon's position?
A truncated lunar theory — good to a few arc-minutes for position. Fine for planning, not navigation.
What does the highlighted region mean?
Everywhere inside it the Moon is currently above the horizon; outside it, the Moon has set.
Why are rise/set times marked approximate?
They come from sampling the Moon's altitude every 10 minutes and ignore terrain — expect a few minutes of error.
Is the phase the same everywhere on Earth?
Yes — phase is a global geometric property; only its orientation in the sky differs between hemispheres.
What is the Moon's average distance?
About 384,400 km; it varies between roughly 356,500 km (perigee) and 406,700 km (apogee).
Does the map update live?
Yes, every 60 seconds in live mode — the Moon moves about 0.5° per hour against the stars.
Why is the Moon sometimes up during the day?
The Moon orbits Earth monthly, so for about half of each month it is above the horizon in daylight.