Make the geometry click.
Move the Moon around Earth and watch the illuminated portion change. Explore eclipses, orbital tilt, libration and the two different lunar months.
Lunar science, on your Mac
See the Moon.
Understand
its motion.
A little curiosity. A whole new view of the Moon. Explore the geometry, rhythms and science of our nearest celestial neighbour.
Free preview · Apple Silicon · macOS 14 or later
Offline. Ad-free. No account.
Waxing gibbous75% illuminated
Native Mac experience / SwiftUI + ChartsAstronomy Engine / mathematical ephemeridesNASA imagery / a detailed lunar surface
From observation to understanding
More than a phase icon.
Follow the Moon in your sky, then discover why it looks the way it does.
See the rhythm unfold.
Browse a 42-day calendar with primary phase events in your chosen time zone. Select a day to inspect illumination, age and distance.
Know where to look.
Compare Sun and Moon altitude through your local day. Check rise and set times, twilight, azimuth, angular size and upcoming phases.
Website visuals are interactive and simplified illustrations. The Mac app includes the full ephemeris and observing tools.
A scientific foundation
The wonder is real.
So are the numbers.
Moonlit uses Astronomy Engine for its calculations and NASA’s lunar surface map for its textured view. It runs locally, with no account or network connection needed after installation.
Its 2026 primary phase predictions were checked against the U.S. Naval Observatory: all 50 events agreed within 80 seconds. Local rise/set and civil twilight checks for Eindhoven agreed within 30 seconds.
View the validation report ↗Phases aren’t Earth’s shadow.They’re our changing view of the Moon’s sunlit half. Earth’s shadow matters during a lunar eclipse.
“One month” has two meanings.The Moon orbits Earth in about 27.3 days. Its phase cycle takes about 29.5 days as Earth also moves around the Sun.
The same face still has a little motion.Synchronous rotation keeps one side facing us; libration lets us peek a little around the edges.
A model has limits.Horizon estimates assume standard refraction and a sea-level horizon. The learning lab simplifies the orbit; it isn’t an eclipse forecast.
Moonlit 1.0 / independent preview
Your next clear night
starts here.
A small native app. A deeper connection to the sky.
Apple Silicon (M1 and later) · macOS 14+ · 2.3 MB
No signup, subscription or ads.
SHA-256 (DMG)
3df480598635d6fcb9b74bcaf81df2954c3783b982f0882b70eb2c82a00d59e9
Install the preview
- Download and open the disk image.
- Drag Moonlit into Applications.
- Open Moonlit from Applications.
This independent preview is locally signed, but has no Apple Developer ID certificate and is not notarized. macOS may block the first launch.
If you choose to trust it, follow Apple’s instructions for opening an app from an unidentified developer. The source and validation report are available for inspection.
Built and tested on an Apple Silicon Mac. Intel Macs are not supported by this build.