Most countries will observe the crescent of Ramadan on Tuesday, February 17. However, based on internationally recognized sighting criteria and astronomical calculations, the moon marking the beginning of Ramadan 1447 AH will not be visible on February 17 from any part of the Arab or Islamic world.
“Sighting the crescent on Tuesday (Feb 17) is either impossible or highly improbable from all regions of the Arab and Islamic world, whether with the naked eye, a telescope, or even using high-powered astronomical imaging technology,” said Engineer Muhammad Shawkat Odeh, Director of the Abu Dhabi-based International Astronomy Centre (IAC).
For countries that rely on confirmed crescent sightings, Wednesday is expected to mark the 30th and final day of Shaaban, meaning the month will complete 30 days and Ramadan is expected to begin on Thursday, February 19, in the UAE and most of these countries.
Engineer Odeh explained that on Tuesday evening, the moon will set before the sun in the eastern Islamic world, at the same time as the sun in central regions, and only a few minutes after sunset in western areas. This short interval is not enough for the moon to transition from conjunction to a visible crescent.
Astronomical calculations show that in the UAE, the lower edge of the moon will set one minute before sunset. In Riyadh, the moon sets 42 seconds before sunset. While in Tabuk, the region in Saudi Arabia where the moon will be at its longest in the month, the moon will set exactly at sunset, with a surface age of just 1 hour and 49 minutes and an angular separation from the sun of only one degree.
In Cairo, the moon will set two minutes after sunset, and in Algeria six minutes after sunset. Despite this slight delay, astronomers confirm that no crescent will be visible in any of these locations.
Further confirming the impossibility of sighting, an annular solar eclipse will occur on Tuesday afternoon, visible from parts of southern Africa and Antarctica. This eclipse will coincide with sunset across large parts of Asia and the Middle East, indicating a visible conjunction — clear proof that the moon cannot appear as a crescent at that time or for several hours afterwards.
Based on the aforementioned scientific and sensory evidence observed with the naked eye on Tuesday, Engineer Odeh warned that it is essential to be wary of any false reports that may surface that day.
Such reports, if they do occur, definitively confirm the error some individuals may make in mistakenly believing they have sighted a crescent moon that is not present in the sky, he said.
According to the post by Astronomy Center, many jurists and astronomers believe there is no need to search for the crescent moon after sunset on Tuesday in regions where the moon sets before or at the same time as the sun, because the moon is not visible in the sky at that time.
Therefore, sighting the crescent is impossible from these regions, and this is known in advance through definitive scientific calculations.
Some Islamic countries will be looking for the crescent moon of Ramadan on Wednesday, February 18, as it is the twenty-ninth day of Shaaban in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Mauritania, and some non-Arab Islamic countries in Africa. In these countries, the first day of Ramadan will be Thursday, February 19, or Friday, February 20, depending on the crescent moon sighting and the weather conditions on that day.
Source: daily-sun.com
