Eid Al Adha on June 6 as Dhul Hijjah crescent Moon likely to be sighted on May 27: IAC
The International Astronomical Centre (IAC) announced that the crescent moon of Dhul Hijjah 1446 AH will be sighted across the Islamic world on Tuesday, May 27.
Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, director of the center, explained that the crescent moon can be seen on that day using a telescope from Central and Western Asia, most parts of Africa, and Europe, and can also be seen with the naked eye from large parts of the Americas.
He added that based on this, Wednesday, May 28, is expected to be the first day of Dhu al-Hijjah, and Friday, June 6, will be the first day of Eid al-Adha in most Islamic countries.
The statement detailed the crescent's location in several Arab and international cities at sunset on Tuesday, May 27. The moon will set in Jakarta 9 minutes after sunset, and will be 9 hours and 2 minutes old, making it impossible to see even with a telescope.
In Abu Dhabi, the moon sets 38 minutes after sunset, at an age of 13 hours and 29 minutes, and is 7.7 degrees away from the sun, making it visible only with a telescope. Similar conditions apply in Mecca, where the moon sets 39 minutes after sunset, at an age of 14 hours and 17 minutes, and is 8.1 degrees away from the sun.
In cities such as Amman and Jerusalem, the moon sets 48 minutes after sunset, reaching an age of 14 hours and 46 minutes, and is 8.4 degrees away from the sun. In Cairo, it sets 47 minutes after sunset, reaching an age of 14 hours and 54 minutes, and an angular distance of 8.5 degrees. In Rabat, the crescent sets 58 minutes after sunset, reaching an age of 17 hours, and is 9.9 degrees away from the sun. In these cities, seeing the crescent may be possible with the naked eye, but with difficulty and requires very clear skies.
The International Astronomy Center explained that the numbers related to the crescent's age and duration are not sufficient alone to determine the possibility of seeing it, as visibility is affected by other factors such as the angular distance from the sun and the height above the horizon at the time of observation.
He explained that the shortest recorded duration of a crescent that could be seen with the naked eye was 29 minutes, and the shortest age of a crescent that could be seen with the naked eye was 15 hours and 33 minutes.
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