Please read the FAQs and if you still have questions, shoot our resident troubleshooter, Decimus Plancus, a message.
MoonPhase FAQ
Like the werewolf warning? Get it as a ringtone here!Version 1.6 Available Now! Here’s what’s new:
NEW
FEATURES- Month calendar view of phases.
- Help available in app.
- Moon compass (iPhone 3GS only).
CHANGES
- Added Wiccan (Neo Pagan) set of moon names.
BUG FIXES
- FIXED: crash in certain low memory circumstances.
- FIXED: JDE calculations for early 1900.
Q: How do I change the Date/Time?
A: On the Moon tab, just tap on the date button. This brings up the date and time chooser.
Q: What iPhone OS Versions does it run on?
A: The latest version (Version 1.5) runs on iPhone OS 2.2.1 and later (including OS 3.0 and 3.1). Previous versions ran on OS 2.0 and later. MoonPhase runs on iPhones and iPod touches of all hardware versions.
Q: Does the eclipse indicator mean that I will see an eclipse?
A: Not always, well, honestly, probably not. It depends on what kind of eclipse it is, and if solar, how it projects across the Earth, and the weather. It’s always the weather.
Q: If I can’t see the eclipse, why tell me about it?
A: Well, it’s happening and you may be interested in knowing more about it, travelling to see it, and so on
Q: Why doesn’t MoonPhase give me more details on eclipses?
A: Well, stay tuned for future releases. This is an interesting topic!
Q: What timezone are the times in?
A: Starting with Version 1.4, the time zone used defaults to your iPhone’s/iPod touch’s time zone. You can override the time zone offset from the Location Tab.
Q: Do you support 24h time format? Do you support AM/PM time format?
A: Yes! But not simultaneously. MoonPhase uses your iPhone’s Region setting to format dates and times. On your iPhone, look here: Settings->General->International->Region Format and here: Settings->General->Date and Time (24-Hour Time option)
Q: How do I set my location manually?
A: To set your location manually, tap the Edit button on the Location tab and tap on the map. Zoom in on the map for more precise setting. If you want to dial in the exact longitude or latitude, press the “adjustments” button and rotate the thumb wheels to dial in your desired coordinates. The left one is for Latitude and the right one is for Longitude.
Q: From where is the Azimuth measured?
A: With Version 1.3 onward, Azimuth is measured in degrees East from North. It is a true heading (not magnetic).
Q: Wait, what *is* Azimuth, and all those other terms on the Ephemeris page?
A: Yeah, they can be a bit strange at first. Here are some *basic* explanations and links in wikipedia for more detail.
- UTC: It is a reference to Coordinated Universal Time and can be roughly thought of as the time at Greenwich, England (or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)). UTC forms the basis for many calculations and many astronomical tables list the times in UTC so it's handy to have it displayed.
- Julian Day: Yet another time scale. This one tries to have consistency over long periods of time and is used in most calculations.
- Distance: This is the distance between the center of the earth and the center of the moon.
- Right Ascension / Declination: (coordinates to locate an object on the celestial sphere). Right Ascension can be thought of as longitude in this system and Declination can be thought of as latitude. MoonPhase shows the geocentric Right Ascension and Declination (i.e., measured as if you were in the center of the earth and looking out).
- Azimuth / Altitude: (coordinates to locate an object in the sky) Azimuth measures the angle from some fixed “direction”. As of version 1.3, MoonPhase measures Azimuth in degrees East from North. Altitude measures the angle from the horizon (at sea level). Positive values mean above horizon, negative values mean below horizon.
- Lunation: The amount of time between successive New Moons.
- Moon Age: The amount of time since the last New Moon.
Q: When does the Werewolf Warning activate?
A: When the date+time falls within half a day on either side of a Full Moon (can’t be too careful). The Warning is activated when you enter the Moon tab.
Q: Umm, the Full Moon Names mean nothing to me. Can I add my own?
A: Currently no, but please email them to us (see Contact Us below) and we’ll see about adding them.
Q: How do you go to the previous New or Full Moon?
A: Scroll back over 30 days and then Fast Forward to the next New or Full Moon.
Q: What does the Fast Forward to Clock icon on the Date selector mean?
A: Fast Forward to Now (present date and time).
Q: How accurate are the calculations?
A: The calculations are astronomical grade!
Q: My abacus calculates the moon phases more accurately!
A: Perhaps true, but your abacus doesn't display the moon as cheese.
Q: My question hasn’t been answered. What do I do next?
A: Please email us (see Contact Us below).