Skip to main content
Glama

CycleCalcs Astronomy

by com.cyclecalcs

Moon state and appearance

astro_moon
Read-only

The Moon at an instant or as a daily series: phase name and angle, illuminated fraction, distance, apparent size, libration, bright limb, and the next quarter phases. A location adds rise/set and altitude. For a calendar of new and full moons use astro_moon_phases; for the Moon's exact coordinates use astro_positions.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
tzNoIANA timezone like "Europe/Lisbon" to render event times in local time. Optional; a resolved place supplies its own timezone.
endNoLast day of a daily series. ISO 8601 UTC date or datetime, e.g. "2026-08-06" or "2026-08-06T21:00:00Z". Omit for the current moment. Years 1700 to 2200 only; outside that range the API refuses with DATE_OUT_OF_RANGE because the ephemeris is not reliable there.
latNoLatitude in decimal degrees, north positive. Send lat and lon together.
lonNoLongitude in decimal degrees, east positive (Lisbon is about -9.14). Send lat and lon together.
dateNoISO 8601 UTC date or datetime, e.g. "2026-08-06" or "2026-08-06T21:00:00Z". Omit for the current moment. Years 1700 to 2200 only; outside that range the API refuses with DATE_OUT_OF_RANGE because the ephemeris is not reliable there.
countNoNumber of daily rows from start (alternative to end).
placeNoPlace name instead of lat/lon, as "City" or "City,CC" with an ISO country code, e.g. "Lisbon,PT". Resolved server-side; the response then carries a required GeoNames CC BY 4.0 credit in its attribution field, which must be preserved when shown.
startNoFirst day of a daily series. ISO 8601 UTC date or datetime, e.g. "2026-08-06" or "2026-08-06T21:00:00Z". Omit for the current moment. Years 1700 to 2200 only; outside that range the API refuses with DATE_OUT_OF_RANGE because the ephemeris is not reliable there.
cursorNoOpaque pagination cursor from a previous result's next_cursor. Send it with the same start/end arguments as the first page.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
dataYesThe Moon's state and appearance, or a sampled series in range mode.
rightsNoEither unrestricted, or attribution_required when third-party place data was used. When attribution_required, the attribution line must be shown.
warningsNoMachine-readable notices about this answer. Present only when non-empty. Never changes whether the call succeeded.
attributionNoThe credit line to display verbatim when rights is attribution_required.
next_cursorNoPresent only when more rows exist. Send it back with the SAME start/end arguments as the first call to get the next page.
not_computedNoData this API deliberately does not serve, and why. Present only when the question touched such a field. An absence named here is information: treat it as "withheld", never as "none exists".

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds useful behavioral context beyond annotations: it distinguishes between an instant and a daily series, and notes that supplying a location enriches the output with rise/set and altitude. It does not discuss pagination or date-range errors, but those are covered in the schema descriptions, and the output schema exists.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, zero wasted words. The first sentence enumerates the output fields and modes; the second sentence nests the location enhancement and sibling alternatives. Highly scannable and efficient.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given a rich output schema, full parameter descriptions in the schema, and clear annotations, the description provides all necessary context. It covers the tool's purpose, output variety, optional location behavior, and directs to relevant siblings, making it self-sufficient for an agent.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The schema covers 100% of parameters with detailed descriptions, so the baseline is 3. However, the description adds semantic value by clarifying the relationship between location parameters and additional output fields ('A location adds rise/set and altitude'), and by framing start/end/count as a 'daily series' option.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description uses a specific verb ('returns') and resource ('the Moon at an instant or as a daily series'), listing concrete output fields like phase, illuminated fraction, distance, and libration. It clearly distinguishes itself from sibling tools by naming astro_moon_phases and astro_positions as alternatives for different needs.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicit guidance is provided: 'For a calendar of new and full moons use astro_moon_phases; for the Moon's exact coordinates use astro_positions.' It also indicates that adding a location changes the output (rise/set and altitude), which helps the agent decide when to include location parameters.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All CycleCalcs Astronomy toolsInspect
Try in Browser
RayrunBuild, deploy, and operate MCP servers without becoming an infrastructure team.ray.runAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.

TDQS

A4.4/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

Each tool targets a distinct observational need: dark windows, eclipses, geocoding, moon state, phase calendar, planet overview, planet events, precise positions, rise/set times, broad snapshot, and solar day. Cross-references among descriptions prevent ambiguity despite overlapping data like rise/set times appearing in several tools.

Naming Consistency4/5

All tools share the astro_ prefix and use snake_case, creating a predictable pattern. The naming is mostly noun-based (the object of interest), but astro_find_place and astro_rise_set break the pure-noun pattern, introducing a slight inconsistency.

Tool Count5/5

With 11 tools, the server covers the major areas of practical astronomy without redundancy. Each tool provides a distinct calculation or data set, and the count fits the expected scope for an astronomy API.

Completeness4/5

The tool set covers solar, lunar, planetary, eclipse, positional, and visibility needs comprehensively. However, there is no explicit tool for equinoxes and solstices, which would be a natural inclusion for a cycle-focused astronomy server, creating a minor gap.

Resources