Skip to content
Gnome Lunar Clock logo

About

GNOME Lunar Clock Applet displays the current phase of the Moon as an applet for the gnome panel.

In the properties box you can choose between a real image

panel image

and a cartoon image of the moon (cartoon graphics by Andreas Nilsson) .

panel image

Based on wmMoonClock © Mike Henderson and the GNOME Fish Applet © The Free Software Foundation .

This software is released under the GNU General Public License.

Features

Pointing with the mouse at the applet displays a tooltip letting you know whether or not the moon is currently above the horizon.

Clicking on the applet displays astronomical data pertaining to the moon including:

Time Functions

Local Standard Time --This is the regular 'wall clock' time. It's set from your computer's clock and all other calculations are based on it, so it needs to be correct in order for the data to be accurate. Consider using the ntp package to set your computer's clock if you have internet access.

moondata image

Local Apparent Time --The time a sundial displays. 'Noon' in Local Apparent Time means the sun just transited your local meridian; in the northern hemisphere this would mean the sun is due south, in the southern hemisphere, due north.

Local Mean Time--The average sundial time. 'Noon' in Local Mean Time means that a ficticious average sun, whose apparent velocity around the earth is equal to the real sun's average apparent velocity, just transited your local meridian. Local Mean Time can differ from Local Apparent Time by as much as +/- 16 Minutes, and the difference between them is called the 'equation of time.'

Local Sidereal Time --This is the local `star time'. It's the local hour angle of the vernal equinox. `Midnight' in Local Sidereal Time means the point in the sky where the sun is on the vernal equinox just transited your local meridian.

Universal Time -- the standard. It's also the Local Mean Time for people living on zero degrees longitude (e.g. in Greenwich), and their Local Standard Time when they're not on daylight savings time.

Moon's Appearance

Fraction of Cycle --The percentage of the current cycle the moon has completed.

Days to Full Moon -- The number of days until the next full moon.

Days to New Moon -- The number of days until the next new moon.

Above Horizon -- Whether or not the moon is currently above the horizon at your geographic location. Your geographic coordinates need to be correctly set for this to function properly (see below).

Moon rise and set times

The rise and set times (in Universal Time) for your geographic location for yesterday, today, and tomorrow are shown. You need to have correctly set your geographic coordinates for this to function properly (see below).

Note that the rise and set times are for a particular twenty-four hour Universal Time period and that it is not necessarily the case that the set time follows the rise time. e.g. if a rise time of 10:00 and a set time of 01:00 are shown for today, and a set time of 01:20 is shown for tomorrow, then that means that the moon set early this morning at 01:00 (after having risen yesterday), then rose again at 10:00 and doesn't set again until tomorrow at 01:20 in the morning.

It is also possible for there to be either no rise or no set time for a particular day. e.g. if the moon rose yesterday at 23:30, and set today at 07:50, it might not rise again until tomorrow at 00:10. In this case 'no rise' would be displayed as rise time for today.

Moon's Coordinates

Right Ascension-- Coordinate of the moon analagous to longitude. It's the hour angle of the moon measured with respect to the vernal equinox.

Declination -- Coordinate of the moon analagous to latitude. It's measured in degrees above (positive) or below (negative) the plane of the celestial equator, the projection of the earth's equator onto the sky.

Azimuth -- Local coordinate of the moon measured in degrees clockwise from north. It's value depends upon your geographic location.

Altitude -- Local coordinate of the moon meased in degrees above (positive) or below (negative) your horizon. It's value depends upon your geographic location.

Distance from the earth -- measured in kilometers.