Moon & Sun crossings New

Catch a plane crossing the Moon.Squawk tells you when to look.

A jet sliding across the face of the Moon lasts only a second or so. Squawk predicts those crossings from exactly where you're standing — with a countdown, a direction to face, and AR that points you there.

How it works

Predictions are free · iPhone · predictions are approximate (≈)

Illustration — slowed down, path enlarged.

How it works

Three steps, a few seconds of warning

No telescope maths, no flight-path guesswork. Squawk does the geometry; you just look up.

Squawk predicts from where you stand

It projects every nearby aircraft's live position, speed and turn a couple of minutes ahead, and checks it against the Moon's real position seen from your precise location.

Countdown + direction

When a crossing is predicted you get a countdown, which way to face and how high to look — plus the aircraft's identity and a diagram of the predicted path across the disc.

Point your phone

Tap Find the Moon and the AR view turns you toward it, highlights the aircraft and keeps counting down, so you're already looking when it arrives.

Aircraft fix ≈3 s old · Location ±8 m

Likely Moon crossing

≈16 s

Look east · ≈39° above the horizon

Find the MoonShare

Predicted path · enlarged

Across the disc

Illustration of the in-app view — example numbers.

Honest by design

Predictions, not promises

Every number carries ≈. A prediction comes from the aircraft's last reported position, projected forward — so it's an estimate, and Squawk labels it that way.
“Likely” and “possible” describe the predicted path, not what you'll see. Clouds, haze, a low Moon or a small, distant aircraft can all hide a crossing.
It shows its working: how fresh the aircraft data is, how precise your location is, and why a prediction may be unreliable. If one stops holding, it tells you why instead of quietly swapping it.
It never guesses where you are. Crossings need a precise location from your phone — the map's centre is never used as a stand-in.
Coverage depends on the community ADS-B network. An aircraft the network doesn't hear can't be predicted.

The Sun, too

Sun crossings — carefully

The same predictions work for the Sun

Squawk predicts aircraft crossing the Sun's disc the same way it does for the Moon.

Never look at the Sun directly — not with your eyes, binoculars or a camera's optical viewfinder. Use a certified solar filter. Before the camera opens on a Sun crossing, Squawk shows this warning and asks you to confirm. Sun crossing alerts are off unless you turn them on.

Free & Pro

Predictions are free. Alerts are Pro.

Free

Every prediction

Open Squawk, look up.

Moon & Sun crossing predictions — likely and possible — from where you stand
Sky view with countdown, direction and the predicted path
Confidence, data freshness and location accuracy — and why a prediction may not hold
AR guidance to the Moon or Sun for the crossing you picked
A share card for the crossing

Download free

Squawk Pro

Crossing alerts

Get a heads-up instead of checking.

A push notification before a predicted crossing, from the last precise location Squawk saved
Alert filters: Moon or Sun, likely crossings only, how much warning you want
The geometry inspector — the uncertainty behind each prediction

Try Pro free1-week free trial on yearly

FAQ

Questions, answered

Is it free?

Yes — predictions, the sky view, the countdown and direction, AR guidance to the crossing and the share card are all free. Squawk Pro adds crossing alerts, alert filters and the geometry inspector.

How often do crossings happen?

It depends on how busy the sky is around you and where the Moon is. Under a busy airway or near a big airport they come up far more often than somewhere quiet — and the Moon (or Sun) has to be up. Squawk only shows a crossing when its prediction supports one; it never invents one to fill the screen.

Will I definitely see it?

No prediction can promise that. “Likely” means the predicted path likely meets the disc — not that the crossing will be visible. Weather, haze, a low Moon and a small or distant aircraft all matter, and an aircraft can turn after its last reported position.

What do I need?

An iPhone with Squawk and a precise location. To photograph a crossing you'll want a camera with a long lens on a tripod — and for the Sun, a certified solar filter, always.

What happens to my location?

Predictions are calculated on your phone. If you turn on Pro crossing alerts, Squawk saves a rounded copy (to about 11 m) of your last precise location so it can check for crossings while the app is closed — alerts say they're from your saved spot. Turning alerts off removes it. See the privacy policy.

Next time the Moon is up, look again.

Squawk for iPhone — crossing predictions are free.