Ian Middleton Photography

Best App for Predicting the Moonrise

By Ian Middleton

Disclosure:

This website and its articles contain links and adverts. The adverts and some links, but not all, are affiliate links. This means that if you click and buy something I will receive a small percentage of money, but at no extra cost to you. The price remains the same if you buy.

Photographing the Major Lunar Standstill over Lake Bled

Last Monday, 13th January 2025, saw a moment at Lake Bled which only happens every 16 years, an extreme moon rising behind the church. In order to plan for this event, I used several apps, but only one proved to be the absolute best app for predicting the moonrise at the exact time and place.

Once a year in January, the Wolf Moon rises over Veliki Vrh peak, in the Karavanke Alps, behind Lake Bled around sunset. This year though, was a bit more special than usual because it is the extreme moon, the major lunar standstill of 2025, which means this full moon would rise at its northernmost point. 

The major lunar standstill results from the rotation of the Moon’s inclined orbit over an 18.6-year cycle. Because the greatest monthly excursion of the Moon changes very little during a standstill, we can observe the phenomenon through much of 2025. The last time this happened was in January 2006. Unlike an eclipse, a standstill can be observed at any location on Earth.

But this would be the only time the full moon would rise at sunset, this far north.

Full moon (January Wolf Moon) rising over Veliki Vrh mountain peak at sunset beside the island church at Lake Bled, Slovenia. Taken on 13th January during the major lunar standstill of 2025

Best time to photograph the Moon

While any time is great for photographing the Moon, the best time is either at sunset or sunrise. There are two reasons for this: first you get the glorious golden hour colour, plus the intensity of the moon is diffused by the brighter ambient light in the sky. This allows you to also capture landscape features within your image.

The Moon is full when the Sun is lighting it completely from the front, therefore the Sun has to be opposing the Moon. So in order to capture it right at the point the Sun rises in the east, the Moon needs to be setting in the west (directly opposite). Conversely, to capture it when the Sun sets in the west, the Moon needs to be rising in the east.

Another thing to consider is the time of year. In summer when the Sun sets or rises more to the north, the full moon will rise or set more to the south. In winter it’s the opposite: the Sun rises and sets more to the south, therefore the full moon rises and sets more to the north.

This is why in winter you can capture it rising in this position over Lake Bled castle and church.

Which is the best app for predicting the moonrise in the exact location?

When it comes to planning for an event like this, there are several apps you can use. First of all, the reason I knew the Moon would rise roughly in this position was because of the Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE), which showed how it would rise in this area from a viewpoint on the western side of the lake.

Sunset was at 4:37. The Moon would rise over the horizon at 3:53 at 49.62 degrees. That was the easy part.

However, it would take some time to come up over the mountains. How long that is very much depends on where it will go, how high the mountain peak is, and the angle at which you are viewing it. 

PhotoPills (AR)

Now, PhotoPills is a superb app for planning these kinds of shots. But, to determine with absolute precision where the Moon will rise, you need to be in the spot from which you plan to shoot. PhotoPills is a great planner, and has an AR (Augmented Reality) feature to help you see the trajectory of the Sun or Moon. However, this does not really work well for sun or moon rises when trying to determine the precise point and time it comes over a mountain peak, if the GPS is not 100% accurate. You can manually calibrate by aligning it with the moon or sun, but that is pretty useless for a rise because you cannot see them until they come up!

This is the screenshot of the PhotoPills AR. It shows the moon coming up to the left of the mountain around 4.27pm.

Screenshot of PhotoPills AR

PeakFinder

PeakFinder is a brilliant app for seeing which mountains you are looking at. However, it also gives you details of exactly where the Sun or Moon will rise or set over a mountain peak. Of course you need to be on location to see it, but it doesn’t have to be on the exact day. You can use the calendar to scroll through days and times to see in advance.

When you are there on the day then you can also use it to plan your shoot. Once you know the exact point and time it comes up, you can find your perfect composition in advance and be ready.

Below is a screenshot of what PeakFinder showed me. It shows the Moon coming over the peak more to the right than PhotoPills, and at 4.47pm, 20 minutes later than PhotoPills.

Screenshot of PeakFinder, the best app for predicting the moonrise.

PeakFinder was bang on

OK, so allowing for the fact that my camera was still set to summer daylight saving time, you can see that the Moon came up right at the time that PeakFinder predicted, but more importantly, right in the position indicated.

Full moon (January Wolf Moon) rising over Veliki Vrh mountain peak at sunset beside the island church at Lake Bled, Slovenia. Taken on 13th January during the major lunar standstill of 2025

Mars in Opposition popped up to say hello

A sunset drew into dusk and the moon rose higher, I spotted a big, bright red star also appear over Veliki Vrh, right about where the Moon had risen. So consulted another great app to see what it was.

Stellarium

I quickly consulted the Stellarium app and learned that it was the planet Mars, and it was rising at the place the Moon did! 

Mars was not only conjunct with the Moon, but also in opposition. Opposition in astronomy means the planet is opposite the Sun in the sky, and that Mars will appear big and bright: at its best for viewing. It was three days away from direct opposition, where Mars would be at its biggest and brightest.

Mars in opposition over Veliki Vrh mountain at Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Related articles
Full moon rising at sunset over Jamnik church of Saints Primus and Felician, perched on a hill on the Jelovica Plateau with the kamnik alps and Storzic mountain in the background, Slovenia.
When is the best time to photograph the Moon?
The best time for photographing the moon is at sunset or sunrise. In this article I explain how and why,...
Full moon rising at dusk over Jamnik church of Saints Primus and Felician, perched on a hill on the Jelovica Plateau with the kamnik alps and Storzic mountain in the background, Slovenia.
6 Best Apps for Landscape Photography
In this article I give you a list of the the 6 best apps for planning your landscape photoshoots.

Equipment used in my photoshoots

These are links to photography equipment I use and what’s in my bag and great places to buy them.
These are affiliate links so if you click and purchase I’ll receive a small commission in return, but at no extra cost to you.

My book

Learn Photography

For a more comprehensive look at photography, check out my book, available to buy at Amazon.

Shedding light on all the photography basics in one book.

Want to know how to take better photos? Well, first you need to master the basic techniques. Whether you are a complete beginner or an intermediate looking to improve your photography, this book is packed with photography techniques, tips and advice for beginners and intermediates.

All the camera functions and their effects explained.

Slovenia Photos & Prints
Buy high quality wall art prints
View galleries
5 stunning photography workshop and tour locations to visit in 2025
Benro Tripod Review – Why I love the Tortoise 34CLV Levelling Tripod

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share this article

Disclosure:

This website and its articles contain links and adverts. The adverts and some links, but not all, are affiliate links. This means that if you click and buy something I will receive a small percentage of money, but at no extra cost to you. The price remains the same if you buy.

“As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases”

A practical guide to photography by Ian Middleton.
Buy my book

Shedding light on all the photography basics in one book.

Buy wall art prints online.

Buy fine art photography prints: canvas, metal, framed, acrylic, wood and more.

Find a rental car with Discover Cars



Use code IAN10 for a 10% discount off Squarespace plans

WP Rocket - WordPress Caching Plugin

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER AND GET

25% OFF MY PRINTS & A FREE EBOOK

Subscribe and receive my regular newsletter to get the latest information about my workshops, new tutorials, videos, new photos and more.

All new subscribers get an exclusive 25% discount code off prints of my photos from my online shop plus a free download of my ebook: A Practical Guide to Photography. 

Code and download link will be emailed to you upon successful signup

I don’t spam! Read my privacy policy for more info