Sun & Moon Compass

What it does

Shows the sun and moon's current position in the sky as a live compass — azimuth (which direction along the horizon) and elevation (how high above the horizon), calculated for your exact location using the SunCalc library, entirely on your device.

What you'll need

• Your location — either tap “Use my location” or enter latitude/longitude manually.

Steps

1. Allow location access, or enter coordinates manually.
2. The compass and the azimuth/elevation numbers update automatically.

Reading the result

On the dial, N/E/S/W mark compass direction; the ring's centre is directly overhead and its edge is the horizon, so a dot near the centre is high in the sky and a dot near the edge is low. A dimmed dot means that body is currently below the horizon — its azimuth/elevation numbers are still shown, with elevation reading negative.

Tips

• Use this before a shoot to check where the sun (or moon) will be relative to your subject or composition, without needing to be on location yet.
• The moon's phase and rise/set times shift roughly 50 minutes later each day — recheck close to your actual shoot time rather than relying on a reading from days earlier.

What are azimuth and elevation?

Azimuth is the compass direction — 0 to 360°, with 0° at north, 90° at east, 180° at south, 270° at west — along the horizon that a point in the sky sits above. Elevation is how high above the horizon it is, from 0° (right at the horizon) to 90° (directly overhead). Together, the two numbers pin down exactly where the sun or moon sits in the sky at any moment, from any location on Earth.

Why photographers use it

Knowing exactly where the sun — or moon — will be relative to your subject lets you plan a shot before you're anywhere near the location. Will the sun backlight your subject, rake in from the side, or sit directly behind a building at the moment you want to shoot? A moonrise-behind-a-landmark shot depends on the moon's azimuth lining up with your foreground subject from your exact shooting position — the kind of alignment that's nearly impossible to plan by showing up and hoping, but straightforward once you know the numbers in advance.

Common mistakes

• Assuming azimuth is measured from magnetic north. it isn't — this tool calculates true (geographic) north. A phone's built-in compass often defaults to magnetic north, which differs by several degrees depending on where you are. Check your phone's true-north setting before aligning a precise shot against this reading.
• Misreading a dimmed marker's elevation. a dimmed dot on the compass means that body is below the horizon right now — its elevation number is negative, not the small positive value the dot's clamped position on the dial might suggest at a glance.
• Planning around today's reading for a shoot days later. both azimuth and elevation shift daily, sometimes noticeably from one day to the next around the solstices. Recheck close to your actual shoot date rather than trusting a reading taken a week or more in advance.
• Treating the moon like a slower version of the sun. the moon's rise and set times shift by roughly 50 minutes a day, and its path varies more across its ~27-day cycle than the sun's does across a year. A moon-alignment shot needs far more frequent rechecking than a sun-based one.
• Trusting azimuth alone for a critical landmark alignment. atmospheric refraction near the horizon and the landmark's true bearing from your exact shooting spot both affect a precise alignment. Pair this tool with a proper mapping tool when the shot depends on hitting an exact line.

Example settings

FAQ

What's the practical difference between azimuth and elevation?

Azimuth tells you which direction to face; elevation tells you how far up to look once you're facing that way. You need both to find an object in the sky — azimuth alone could mean anywhere from the horizon to overhead.

Why measure azimuth in degrees instead of just N/S/E/W?

A compass quadrant only narrows things down to a 90° range. Precise alignment planning — lining up a sunset or moonrise with a specific landmark — needs a bearing accurate to a few degrees, which only a numeric azimuth gives you.

Does this account for magnetic declination when I compare it to my phone's compass?

No — it computes true (geographic) north-based azimuth directly from your coordinates. Your phone's compass may default to magnetic north, which differs by a few degrees depending on location, so check your phone's true-north setting if you need the two to match exactly.

Why does the moon's position seem to move less predictably than the sun's day to day?

The moon orbits Earth roughly every 29.5 days, versus the sun's 24-hour daily cycle as seen from Earth, so its rise/set times and path shift far more noticeably from one day to the next — about 50 minutes later each day, plus a slower drift through its monthly cycle.

Is this accurate enough to plan a precise sun-or-moon-behind-a-landmark shot?

The position math itself is precise, but real-world planning also needs your exact shooting spot's true bearing to the landmark and any horizon obstruction. Combine this tool with a mapping tool for shots where the alignment has to be exact.