Lunar Azimuth and Altitude Estimation Algorithm

Version 1.4.0.0 (4.26 KB) by Darin Koblick
Predict the Lunar Azimuth and Altitude within +/- .2 deg of any lat and lon for a given UTC
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Updated 18 Aug 2010

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This algorithm will accept a Latitude, Longitude and Altitude location as well as a specific universal coordinated time. It will use this information and calculate the position of the moon in a local coordinate frame (az and alt aka az and el).

Example Function Call:
[Az El] = LunarAzEl('1991/05/19 13:00:00',50,10,0)

Input List:
UTC Date and Time - Use format YYYY/MM/DD hh:mm:ss
Latitude - Site Latitude in degrees -90:90 -> S(-) N(+)
Longitude - Site Longitude in degrees -180:180 W(-) E(+)
Altitude - Site Altitude in km

Output List:
Az - Lunar Azimuth angle in degrees
El - Lunar Elevation/Altitude Angle in degrees

Cite As

Darin Koblick (2026). Lunar Azimuth and Altitude Estimation Algorithm (https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/22992-lunar-azimuth-and-altitude-estimation-algorithm), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

MATLAB Release Compatibility
Created with R2008b
Compatible with any release
Platform Compatibility
Windows macOS Linux
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Version Published Release Notes
1.4.0.0

Updated to make use of the site altitude
1.3.0.0

Enhanced modeling fidelity of the lunar orbit by adding large perturbation terms.
1.2.0.0

Bug Fix: Azimuth quadrant check in LunarAzEl
1.1.0.0

Modified the RA DEC to Az Alt conversion.
1.0.0.0