Jordanian Astronomical Society | Sighting the Shawwal crescent is “possible” on April 9

2024-03-27 2024-03-27T13:12:18Z

Weather of Arabia - According to the astronomical calculations indicated by the President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society , Ammar Al-Sakkji , sighting of the Shawwal crescent on the evening of Tuesday, April 9 , is considered “possible,” as the crescent will be clear on the western horizon of the Kingdom, and therefore citizens can try to see it by looking to the west. .

Based on these calculations, Wednesday , April 10, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

As for the possibility of seeing the crescent on the evening of Monday, April 8 , Al-Sakkji indicated that astronomical calculations confirm that “sighting is impossible,” because the crescent will be “below the horizon” after sunset, and therefore there will be no visible crescent according to all standards, including the standard of return. The crescent will be below the horizon, which is agreed upon by all specialized astronomers.

Official directives indicate that determining the beginning of Ramadan, the beginning of Shawwal, and the Hijri months is subject to the jurisdiction of the Council for Fatwa, Research and Islamic Studies, the General Fatwa Department, and the General Mufti of the Kingdom.

The Jordanian Astronomical Society is working to increase the number of monitoring stations to include various regions of the Kingdom from south to north.

The Jordanian Astronomical Society has announced a competition to photograph the crescent of Shawwal in Jordan, where monitoring and photography operations will begin after seven o’clock in the evening on Tuesday, April 9 , from the west, where the crescent will be visible in the sky, and it can be photographed using mobile devices, cameras, telescopes, or any other optical tools. .

This activity aims to enhance awareness and culture of astronomy and space sciences, especially among photography enthusiasts, and to involve the community in monitoring and fixing the Shawwal crescent, which makes it easier to see and avoids problems of clouds and weather conditions by expanding the scope of monitoring to different geographical areas.

Jordanian citizens can easily participate in the competition by photographing the crescent moon, posting the photo on their Facebook accounts, and using the hashtag #shawwal24JAS.