Precise Lunar Position Data for Any Location

Moon Position API.

Calculate the precise position of the moon in the sky for any location and time. Get altitude (elevation angle), azimuth (compass direction), distance from Earth, and parallactic angle. Essential for astronomy applications, astrophotography planning, and tidal prediction systems.

Get your free API key Read the docs

Free tier, no card< 200ms responses99.9% uptime SLA

GET/v1/moonpositionlive

query

Response200 OK · sample

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "date": "01-22-2026",
    "time": "14:30",
    "coordinates": {
      "latitude": 37.7749,
      "longitude": -122.4194
    },
    "moon": {
      "altitude": -0.407908976399288,
      "azimuth": 1.4720499058762104,
      "distance": 404332.6834067969
    }
  }
}

Sample response · verify to run one live call, no signup

How it works

Moon Position API

Real-time moon altitude and azimuth for any coordinates
Precise Earth-Moon distance in kilometers
Current illumination percentage and phase data
Works worldwide with any latitude and longitude

1
Send one request
A single authenticated GET with the location you care about — no SDK required.
```
GET /v1/moonposition?query=…
x-api-key: your_key
```
2
We do the aggregation
Each request pulls from multiple upstream sources and computes the derived fields for you.
3
Get clean JSON back
One structured object, typically under 200 ms — ready to render.
```
{ date, time, coordinates, … }
```

The response

Everything in a single call.

/v1/moonpositionapplication/json

date"01-22-2026"

time"14:30"

coordinateslatitude, longitude

moonaltitude, azimuth, distance

Use cases

What developers build with it.

Real applications shipping on this endpoint today — each with the numbers that made it worth wiring up.

See every use case

Moon Photography Planning

Our Moon Position API provides altitude, azimuth, and illumination data for any time and location. Plan compositions with earthly foregrounds, predict when the moon will clear the horizon, and know exactly how bright it will be.

Know exact moon position for any shoot timePlan compositions with landscape featuresPredict illumination for exposure planning

Plan aheadfor any location

Exposure planningwith illumination %

Compositionwith azimuth data

Telescope Pointing & Automation

Feed real-time moon position data directly into your telescope control software. Get precise altitude and azimuth for alt-az mounts, plus parallactic angle for equatorial mount alignment.

Precise coordinates for automated pointingParallactic angle for mount alignmentDistance data for focus calculations

< 0.01°position accuracy

Automatedtelescope pointing

Real-timetracking data

Wildlife Activity & Fishing Apps

Integrate moon position data to show users optimal activity windows. When moon altitude indicates the moon is directly overhead (~90°) or underfoot (~-90° from opposite point), highlight these as prime activity times.

Predict peak feeding windowsShow moon overhead/underfoot timesCombine with illumination for best days

Activity windowsbased on moon position

User engagementwith predictions

Combine dataphase + position

Start coding

Call it in your language.

Copy a working request, or install a typed SDK. Same endpoint, same key.

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/moonposition?lat=37.7749&lon=-122.4194&date=01-16-2026&time=14%3A30", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Included in your key

One subscription, the whole precise lunar position data for any location stack.

Every related API ships with your key — no separate plans, no extra keys, one bill.

See pricing

8APIs in this bundle

99.9%uptime SLA

The bundle

moonpositionYou’re heremoonphases Moonrise & Moonset sunposition Sunrise & Sunset planetpositions Weather Forecast worldtime

No code required

Wire it into the tools you already run.

Ready-made recipes for Zapier, Make, and n8n — trigger on an event, and the data lands where your team works.

Google Sheets

Log moon position hourly for a location

WhenScheduled hourly

ThenGet moon position → append row

Slack

Nightly moon position briefing

WhenScheduled nightly

ThenGet moon position → post to channel

Airtable

Build a moon observation log

WhenScheduled hourly

ThenGet moon position → create record

Notion

Log nightly moon data to Notion database

WhenScheduled nightly

ThenGet moon position → create database item

Salesforce

Add moon data to observatory opportunity records

WhenNew opportunity created

ThenGet moon position → update custom field

GitHub

Add moon data to astronomy project issues

WhenNew issue opened

ThenGet moon position → add comment

Browse all integrations

Learn

Understand the data behind the API.

Understanding Moon Position

Learn how lunar altitude and azimuth work for any location.

Understanding Moon Distance

Learn about lunar distance, perigee, apogee, and supermoons.

Questions about the API

How accurate is the moon position data?

Our calculations use established astronomical algorithms (VSOP87 and ELP2000) and are accurate to within 0.01 degrees for position and about 1km for distance. This precision is suitable for telescope pointing and professional applications.

What is parallactic angle and why is it useful?

Parallactic angle describes the rotation of the moon relative to the horizon. It's essential for astrophotographers to know how the moon will appear oriented in their images and for aligning telescope mounts.

Can I get moon position for a specific date and time?

Yes, you can pass an optional datetime parameter to get the moon position for any date and time, past or future. If not specified, we return the current moon position.

How does moon distance affect what I see?

The moon's distance varies from about 356,500 km (perigee) to 406,700 km (apogee). At perigee, the moon appears about 14% larger and brighter. This is especially noticeable during a "supermoon" when a full moon coincides with perigee.

Do you provide moonrise and moonset times?

The Moon Position API focuses on current position data. For rise/set times, use our dedicated Moonrise/Moonset API which provides precise times for any location and date.

Can this API help with tidal predictions?

Yes, moon position and distance are key factors in tidal calculations. The moon's gravitational pull is strongest when closest to Earth and when directly overhead or underfoot at a location.

Is the API suitable for telescope automation?

Absolutely. Our moon position data provides the altitude and azimuth precision needed for telescope pointing systems. The parallactic angle is particularly useful for equatorial mount alignment.

How often should I refresh moon position data?

The moon moves about 0.5 degrees per hour across the sky, so for visual applications, updating every 5-10 minutes is sufficient. For telescope tracking, more frequent updates may be needed.