An astronomical statement about the circumstances of sighting the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan 1445/2024

Weather of Arabia - Most Islamic countries began the month of Shaban on Sunday, February 11, 2024 AD, and accordingly, most countries will see the crescent of Ramadan on Sunday, March 10, and the central conjunction will occur on that day at nine o’clock in the morning GMT, and the moon will set after sunset in all regions of the Islamic world. Approximately, and accordingly, many countries are expected to begin the month of Ramadan on Monday, March 11.

As for the possibility of seeing the crescent on Sunday, March 10, based on all criteria for seeing the crescent published in peer-reviewed scientific research (including the standard of the Muslim scientist Ibn Tariq, the researcher Fotheringham, the researcher Maunder, the researcher Bruin, the Muslim researcher Elias, the SAAO Astronomical Observatory, the researcher Yallop, and the researcher Muslim Odeh), seeing the crescent is not possible on that day from anywhere in the Arab and Islamic world, whether with the naked eye or using a telescope, while seeing the crescent is possible using a telescope from parts of the Americas, especially from the western parts. Accordingly, for countries that require the correct sighting of the crescent from somewhere in the Islamic world, it is expected that these countries will begin the month of Ramadan on Tuesday, March 12.

Regarding the position of the crescent on Sunday, March 10 in some Arab and Islamic cities, the surface calculations of the crescent at sunset are as follows: In Jakarta, the moon sets 5 minutes after sunset, and its age is 38 minutes, and its distance from the sun is 1.7 degrees. In Abu Dhabi, the moon sets 10 minutes after sunset, and its age is 04 hours and 45 minutes, and its distance from the sun is 3 degrees. In Mecca, the moon sets 13 minutes after sunset, and its age is 6 hours and 22 minutes, and its distance from the sun is 3.4 degrees. In Amman and Jerusalem, the moon sets 13 minutes after sunset, and its age is 6 hours and 35 minutes, and its distance from the sun is 3.6 degrees. In Cairo, the moon sets 14 minutes after sunset. It is 7 hours and 2 minutes old, and its distance from the sun is 3.7 degrees. In Khartoum, the moon sets 15 minutes after sunset, and its age is 07 hours and 18 minutes, and its distance from the sun is 3.6 degrees. In Rabat, the moon sets 21 minutes after sunset. Its age is 10 hours and 20 minutes and its distance from the sun is 5 degrees. Seeing the crescent moon in all the aforementioned areas is not possible, neither with the naked eye nor using a telescope.

To know the meanings of these numbers, it is worth noting that the minimum duration of the crescent that can be seen with the naked eye is 29 minutes, the minimum age of the crescent that can be seen with the naked eye is 15 hours and 33 minutes, and the minimum distance of the crescent from the sun that can be seen with the naked eye is 7.6 degrees. It is not sufficient for the crescent's duration, age, and distance to exceed these values to enable it to be seen, as the sighting of the crescent is related to other factors, such as its distance from the horizon at the time of observing it.

As for Monday, March 11, seeing the crescent is possible with the naked eye relatively easily from all regions of the Islamic world, and whoever wishes to see the crescent on that day can look to the west after sunset for about 15 to 25 minutes from a place where its western horizon is exposed, and search for the crescent near The area where the sun has set, then the crescent will appear thin and close to the horizon, and soon it will also set about 60 to 80 minutes after sunset.

To learn about the results of observing the crescent of the month of Ramadan, you can visit the website of the Islamic Crescent Observation Project of the International Astronomy Center on the Internet at the following address: ( http://www.astronomycenter.net/icop/ram45.html )

The project was established in 1998 and currently includes more than 1,500 members, including scientists and those interested in observing the new moon and calculating calendars. The project encourages those interested in various countries of the world to investigate the crescent moon and send their monitoring results to the project via its website, where they are published successively after being audited and scrutinized.

The attached map shows the extent to which the Ramadan crescent can be seen on Sunday, March 10, from all regions of the world, so that:

• It is impossible to see the crescent from the areas in red because the moon sets before sunset or/and because surface conjunction occurs after sunset.
• It is not possible to see the crescent moon either with a telescope or with the naked eye from the non-colored areas.
• Seeing the crescent moon is only possible using a telescope from areas located in blue.
• It is possible to see the crescent moon using a telescope from the areas located in pink, and it is possible to see the crescent moon with the naked eye with difficulty if the atmosphere is completely clear and observed by an experienced observer.
• It is possible to see the crescent moon with the naked eye from areas in green.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Monday, March 11, 2024