Comparison

Moon Book vs Eclipse Explorer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Moon Book

This app visualizes lunar eclipses, showing viewing times and directions from your location. Plan your observations by setting specific locations and previewing eclipse phases.

Highlights
  • Lunar eclipse viewing times
  • Direction of eclipse visibility
  • Location-specific eclipse phases
  • Pre-set observing locations
  • Overseas eclipse start times
  • Thumbnail images of eclipse phases
Read full description

The Moon Book App clearly shows you when and from which direction eclipse of the moon can be viewed. The time of beginning or ending penumbral eclipse is simultaneous around the country but a place of beginning total eclipse differs from pace to place. The Moon Book will show you the phases of the moon eclipse at your place. You will be able to set up any observing place beforehand if the moon eclipse star chart is selected. When you move to a distant place for observing the moon eclipse, you will be able to know in advance a place where the Earthfs shadow starts hiding the moon. You will be able to check a start time of the moon eclipse overseas also. Tapping on the moon icon at the upper left corner of the star chart will show you thumbnail images of the phases of the moon eclipse at regular intervals. The interval of the thumbnail images can be changed.

About

Eclipse Explorer

Explore solar eclipses with detailed circumstances for your location between 1900 and 2100. Features countdown timers, Sun and Moon simulations, and real-time shadow mapping. Overlay weather data to avoid clouds during totality.

Highlights
  • Location-based eclipse circumstances (1900-2100)
  • Countdown timers to eclipse events
  • Sun and Moon position simulation
  • Real-time Moon shadow mapping
  • Satellite and radar weather overlays
  • Offline map functionality
Features
Read full description

Eclipse Explorer is a free mobile app that allows you to view the circumstances for solar eclipses that occur between 1900 and 2100 using your GPS defined location. It uniquely features countdown timers to eclipse events at your specific location, simulates the position of the Sun and Moon, and draws the location of the Moon's shadow on the Earth in real-time. A solar eclipse is one of nature's most amazing spectacles, however, clouds can ruin your day. Use this app to overlay satellite and radar data on the day of the eclipse to make sure you stay within the path of totality and away from the clouds! Find out exactly when the eclipse starts and finishes for your location with countdown timers. Be ready for the total eclipse in August of 2017! Free, with minor ad support. Only one full page ad will be displayed per app start, then one banner ad, which will automatically close in less than 20 seconds. Please check out my website for full details and instructions on how to use the app. http://www.solareclipseapp.com Please keep in mind this is a CPU/GPU intensive app. Recommended for phones a tablets made within the last 2 years. Full Release Notes Welcome to Eclipse Explorer version 3! Now has a beautiful material design. Multi-threaded performance improvements. Improved accuracy. Improved shadow details. Newly designed map. Map works offline. Show weather overlays on the eclipse map. Optionally, show eclipse circumstances, map, and simulation on a single screen. Your all-in-one app for the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Full version history: v3.4.1 Fixed: iOS only: Upside down orientation fix. v3.4.0 New: Lunar limb profile for improved contact times (TSE2017 only) New: Solar corona shown during total phase in eclipse simulation Improved: GPS time correction sync. (Green clock is GPS time) Fixed: Offline map does not load in some situations. v3.3.0 New: Moon's shadow speed shown in realtime or during animation, only when (ant)umbral shadow is touching Earth. New: Distance to totality/annularity or distance to eclipse centerline shown. New: Max duration of totatlity/annularity at closest point along centerline shown. New: Info ball shows click for hint. Fixed: Another timezone crash bug. Fixed: Offline map sometimes did not display after app restart. Changed: Hints last longer. v3.2.0 New: Voice cue and three cue beep audio event indications. New: Next occurring circumstance will scroll to visibility and flash in realtime. New: App user hints and tips. Fixed: Realtime tag did not appear on simulation screen when it should have. Fixed: Zoom in button did not work in certain screen orientations. Fixed: Map may not display on app restart in offline mode. Fixed: Next visible eclipse selects day-of eclipse. Fixed: Animations tags may show up circumstance page when they should not. Fixed: Certain timezones caused app crash. Improved: Realtime shadow lag. Improved: Hardened code to ensure realtime shadow and simulation start on day of eclipse. Changed: Time travel mode will now sequence to 15 seconds prior to event. Total or annular begins event is 60 seconds. v3.1.0 Added: App maintains state through restart/refresh. Added: Location Freeze mode, long press location icon to freeze manual location. Long press to unfreeze. Improved: Shadow animations while GPS is on. Fixed: Race condition when selecting certain eclipses. Fixed: Draw all eclipse lines no matter which thread completes first. v3.0.5 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.4 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.2 * Made map more responsive to location change touches. * Fixed version code in about page v2.0.2 Fixed: Google Maps API Key added, Google maps feature should work. Improved: Built against latest Apache Cordova and latest Android SDK. Update: jQueryMobile v1.4.5

Screenshots

Moon Book4 screens
Eclipse Explorer2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Eclipse Explorer at every 5 days against Moon Book's every 6 months. Eclipse Explorer also leads on iOS requirement (10.3 vs 12.0). Moon Book's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 67%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Moon Book ships an update every 6 months, Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Moon Book versus Eclipse Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoon BookEclipse Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.010.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVixen Co., Ltd.Joshua Berlin

Customer experience

Moon Book

Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

Eclipse Explorer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Moon Book

No in-app purchases

None

Eclipse Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Moon Book free?
Moon Book is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Eclipse Explorer free?
Eclipse Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Moon Book or Eclipse Explorer have ads?
Neither Moon Book nor Eclipse Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Moon Book or Eclipse Explorer?
Moon Book ships an update every 6 months, and Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. Most recently, Moon Book was updated on July 7, 2026 and Eclipse Explorer on June 1, 2026.

Other comparisons