Overview
A moon phase and lunar phase API. Moon Phases works by calculating the moon phase based on the date provided. It returns the moon phase in a structured format.
Live Test Moon Phases Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("moonphases", "field", "phase")=VERVE.CALL("moonphases", "field", "phase")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
todayOptional | boolean | "today", value | Get the moon phase for today default true |
Passing an option
=VERVE("moonphases", "today", "true")=VERVE.CALL("moonphases", "today", "true")What lands in your sheet
The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("moonphases")=VERVE.CALL("moonphases")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
phase | string | Waning Crescent | Current moon phase name |
phaseEmoji | string | 🌘 | Emoji showing the current phase |
illumination | number | 9.9 | Approximate illumination percentage (0-100) |
waxing | boolean | false | Whether the illuminated fraction is growing |
waning | boolean | true | Whether the illuminated fraction is shrinking |
lunarAge | number | 26.61193415670738 | Days since the last new moon |
lunarAgePercent | number | 0.9011650706672754 | How far through the lunar cycle the moon is, from 0 to 1 |
lunationNumber | number | 1274 | Which lunar cycle this is, counting from the new moon of January 1923 |
lunarDistance | number | 63.77810628163608 | Distance to the moon in Earth radii |
nextFullMoonPremium | string | 2026-01-16T00:00:00Z | Date of next full moon |
lastFullMoonPremium | string | 2025-11-17T00:00:00Z | Date of last full moon |
daysToFullMoonPremium | number | 28 | Days until next full moon |
daysSinceFullMoonPremium | number | 2 | Days since last full moon |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in moonphases | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Night Sky Photography
- Astrophotographers check lunar illumination and waxing status to schedule dark-sky Milky Way shoots around the new moon.
- Biodynamic Planting Calendars
- Gardening software aligns root and above-ground crop sowing schedules using lunar cycle progression and current lunar age.
- Stargazing Event Planning
- When planning evening telescope sessions, observatory guides inspect illumination percentages to schedule viewing nights under pitch-black skies.
- Fishing Forecast Dashboards
- Forecast peak feeding activity by pairing lunation numbers and waxing indicators with local marine tables in fishing apps.
Other ways to use Moon Phases
Set up Moon Phases on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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