International Astronomy Center Announces Eid Al-Fitr Dates for Several Countries
Furthermore, Indonesia has officially confirmed that Eid Al-Fitr will be observed on Monday, March 31, 2025, following the failure to sight the Shawwal crescent moon on Saturday, March 29.
These announcements offer clarity to millions of Muslims around the world as they prepare for the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid celebrations.
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Sun Aligns Directly Over Kaaba In Rare Celestial Event, Offering Muslims Precise Qibla Direction
In a rare and striking celestial event, the sun aligned directly over the Holy Kaaba in Mecca on Tuesday, allowing Muslims around the world to determine the Qibla — the direction of prayer — with remarkable accuracy. At the moment of alignment, the sun stood precisely above the Kaaba, causing shadows to vanish completely in its immediate vicinity. 'The sky over Mecca witnessed the sun directly aligning with the Kaaba, causing shadows to disappear completely. The Qibla can be precisely determined from any location where the sun can be seen,' the Jeddah Astronomy Society said in a statement. The phenomenon occurs as the sun travels southward from the Tropic of Cancer and crosses Mecca's latitude at approximately 21.4 degrees North. Known as a Solar Zenith, the event typically occurs twice a year, around late May and mid-July, due to the Earth's axial tilt of 23.5 degrees. Majed Abu Zahra, President of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, noted that the zenith coincides with the Dhuhr prayer in Mecca, imbuing the event with both scientific and spiritual significance. For a moment, sunlight descends vertically upon the Kaaba, creating a powerful and symbolic alignment. Beyond its visual impact, the event provides a traditional means for Muslims worldwide to verify the Qibla without the use of modern tools. At the precise time of the solar zenith, those able to see the sun can simply face it to align their prayers toward Mecca with exceptional precision. Astronomers also view the alignment as a valuable opportunity to observe atmospheric refraction near the zenith point, yielding insights into how light behaves at steep angles. Such observations help refine our understanding of solar positioning and atmospheric conditions.
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Al Khatm Astronomical Observatory, located in the Abu Dhabi desert, has captured the first images of the crescent moon marking the start of Dhu Al Hijjah 1446 AH on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Morning sighting: At 11:00am UAE time, the moon was photographed with a 5.5-degree distance from the sun and an age of 5 hours and 22 minutes. The sky was slightly dusty. Afternoon update: By 3:15pm UAE time, the moon's distance from the sun increased to 6.5 degrees, with an age of 9 hours and 37 minutes. Evening image after sunset: At 7:05pm UAE time, after sunset, the moon's distance from the sun reached 7.6 degrees and an age of 13 hours and 27 minutes. في أول صورة لهلال شهر ذي الحجة من العالم الإسلامي بعد غروب الشمس:هلال شهر ذو الحجة 1446هـ كما تم تصويره اليوم الثلاثاء 27 مايو 2025م، بواسطة مرصد الختم الفلكي.الصورة الأولى: الساعة 11:00 صباحا بتوقيت الإمارات. بعد القمر عن الشمس 5.5 درجة. عمر القمر 5 ساعات و22 دقيقة. وكانت… — مركز الفلك الدولي (@AstronomyCenter) May 27, 2025 The observatory team behind these images included Osama Ghanem, Anas Mohammed, Khalfan Al-Naimi, and Mohammed Awda.
