According to astronomical calculations, Monday, March 11, 2024, is scheduled to be the beginning of Ramadan (Reuters)

On the cusp of the blessed month of Ramadan, eyes turn toward the sky to the west during the period of dusk, as the sun falls behind the horizon and its light begins to fade in the face of the intense darkness of the night.

In those critical moments, and for a very limited time, people follow the trace of the thin crescent to announce the beginning of the month of Ramadan, according to the hadith of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, “Fast when you see it and break your fast when you see it.”

The difficulty of seeing the crescent lies in its location at the horizon, as it does not exceed a few degrees before it disappears again, and modern cities do not provide great opportunities for monitoring due to dust and light pollution resulting from increasing human activity.

In addition, after the moon is set - which is the beginning and end of the moon's phases - it begins to enter the waxing crescent phase, which is what Muslims adopt to mark the beginning of the blessed month. However, seeing it with the naked eye is not always an easy process because of its extreme diminutiveness, so most observatories seek help. Islam today has telescopes and binoculars to facilitate the process.

The Moon, by its nature, does not produce light, but rather reflects it, just like the Earth. They are both rocky bodies, and the phases of the Moon are a complete cycle that occurs approximately every 29 days, due to the movement of the celestial body in an oval path around the Earth and the falling of the sun’s rays on it.

The moon is full when it is completely filled with sunlight, and the side near it is completely illuminated, which means that the Earth is in a position between the moon and the sun.

In contrast, when we witness the rebirth of the moon;

If it is a new moon, then the moon will be between the earth and the sun.

With the passage of time, the sunlight falling on the opposite side of the moon begins to increase due to its location in the Earth’s sky until it becomes a full moon, which is the night of the middle of the lunar month.

After that, the light begins to diminish, and the disk of the moon returns to its side, with a waning crescent and then a new crescent.

The crescent period, whether at the beginning or end of the lunar month, extends for about 6 days.

The phenomenon of “Earthglow” makes it easier to find the Moon, as the Earth’s light reflects the dark part when the Moon is crescent (Shutterstock)

Observing the Ramadan crescent

There are many applications today on all smartphones to determine the path of the moon in the Earth's sky, accompanied by times, dates, and all details about its condition and phase.

The process of observing the Ramadan crescent is not limited to anyone, as the sky and everything in it is available to everyone, so you can prepare well for observing the crescent by following some useful tips to obtain the best possible result.

Given that the telescope or telescope works more efficiently than the naked eye in observing celestial bodies, it would be preferable to use one of these optical instruments, in addition to the fact that there are modern telescopes today that operate with automatic guidance to observe the moon, so the lens moves with the movement of the moon in the sky from the moment It rises below the horizon until it sets away again.

It is preferable to have at least a screen attached to the telescope to review all captured images.

Also, remote places far from the noise of the city would be a very ideal option, in addition to using the roofs of buildings or the tops of hills and heights to overcome any obstacle that separates the viewer from the horizon.

An astronomical phenomenon that astronomers call “Earthglow” may help in finding the crescent, due to the reflection of Earth’s light on the Moon. This phenomenon occurs because the Earth acts like a giant mirror that reflects sunlight on the unlit side of the Moon.

A faint glow often appears on the dark part of the moon's surface, and this effect is more noticeable when the crescent is thin.

Source: Al Jazeera