The Crescent Moon of Ramadhan
1998/99 CE, 1419 AH
 |
The sighting of the crescent moon (hilal) at the end of the
month of Shaban signifies the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan. Eid ul-Fitr is
celebrated at the end of Ramadhan following the sighting of the Shawaal crescent on the
previous evening. The thin crescent moon may be seen after sunset once the sky
is sufficiently dark. Sighting will depend upon many factors including weather condition,
the quality of the eye-sight of the observer(s), a clear horizon and absence of haze
and distracting city lights. False sightings (i.e. honest mistakes) are common since many
objects in the sky can be mistaken for the lunar crescent especially if there is a
heightened sense of expectation. It is hoped that the information on this page will assist
in the sighting of the crescent moon and reduce the numbers of erroneous sightings. |
Ramadhan 1419 AH
The time of conjunction for the Ramadhan moon is: 18th
December 1998, 22:42 (UT). At this instant, the earth, moon and sun are all in
the same plane. The conjunction is also known as the "astronomical new
moon" or less formally as the "birth of the new
moon". At this instant, the moon is invisible
from the earth and it will be many hours before the crescent is thick enough to be visible
from anywhere in the world. Using mathematical
models, it is possible to predict with good (but not always absolute) accuracy if the
crescent will be visible on a particular evening from a particular location.
- On the evening of 18th December, the crescent can not
be seen from any location in the world - this is a certainty. Beware of any claims of sighting on this day.
- On the following evening, 19th December 1998, the crescent will be visible from part of
the world as indicated approximately by the coloured bands on the map below:
Map produced with MoonCalc
4 by Dr. Monzur Ahmed using Ilyas' criterion
On the evening of 19th December 1998, the orientation of the crescent
moon will be different depending on the location of the observer. For example:
| Appearance of crescent (click for large
picture) |
Location |
Date |
Time Zone |
Sunset
(Local Time) |
Best time to see moon* |
Azimuth (at best time) |
Topocentric Altitude (at best time) |
 |
Chicago, USA |
19 Dec |
-5 hr |
17:22 |
17:48 |
237 |
4.9 |
 |
Mexico City, Mexico |
19 Dec |
-6 hr |
18:03 |
18:22 |
246 |
6.8 |
 |
Los Angeles, USA |
19 Dec |
-8 hr |
16:47 |
17:09 |
240.5 |
6.4 |
 |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
19 Dec |
-9 hr |
18:54 |
19:14 |
245 |
8.4 |
Data and crescent simulations produced with MoonCalc 4 by Dr Monzur Ahmed
* Best time is taken as time when sun is approximately 5 degrees below horizon.
On the evening of 20th December 1998, the crescent moon will be
visible from most places in the world. Again the crescent will look different depending on
the location of the observer. For example:
| Appearance of crescent (click
for large picture) |
Location |
Date |
Time Zone |
Sunset
(Local Time) |
Best time to see moon* |
Azimuth (at best time) |
Topocentric Altitude (at best
time) |
 |
Melbourne, Australia |
20 Dec |
+10 hrs |
19:40 |
20:05 |
249 |
4.2 |
 |
Tokyo,
Japan |
20 Dec |
+9 hrs |
16:31 |
16:54 |
238 |
8.6 |
 |
Singapore |
20 Dec |
+8 hrs |
19:03 |
19:22 |
250 |
11.5 |
 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
20 Dec |
+6 hrs |
17:16 |
17:36 |
242 |
11.4 |
 |
Islamabad, Pakistan |
20 Dec |
+5 hrs |
17:07 |
17:25 |
237 |
10.6 |
 |
Dar Es Salam, Tanzania |
20 Dec |
+3 hrs |
18:36 |
18:54 |
252 |
13.0 |
 |
Makkah, Saudi Arabia |
20 Dec |
+3 hrs |
17:43 |
18.:03 |
242.4 |
13.1 |
 |
Cairo, Egypt |
20 Dec |
+2 hrs |
16:59 |
17:20 |
238.2 |
12.2 |
 |
Cape Town, South Africa |
20 Dec |
+2 hrs |
19:56 |
20:20 |
253 |
8.3 |
 |
London, UK |
20 Dec |
0 hrs |
15:55 |
16:25 |
223 |
7.9 |
 |
New York, USA |
20 Dec |
-5 hrs |
16:31 |
16:56 |
230 |
12.5 |
 |
Chicago, USA |
20 Dec |
-5 hrs |
17:23 |
17:48 |
229 |
12.5 |
 |
Washington, USA |
20 Dec |
-5 hrs |
16:49 |
17:13 |
231 |
13.0 |
 |
Los Angeles, USA |
20 Dec |
-8 hrs |
16:47 |
17:10 |
233 |
15.3 |
Data and crescent simulations produced with MoonCalc 4 by Dr Monzur Ahmed
* Best time is taken as time when sun is approximately 5 degrees below horizon.
Eid-ul Fitr 1419 AH
The time of conjunction of the Shawaal moon is: 17th
January 1999, 15:46 (UT).
- On the evening of 17th January, the crescent can not
be seen from any location in the world - this is a certainty. Beware of any claims of sighting on this day.
- On the following evening, 18th January 1999, the crescent will be visible from part of
the world as indicated approximately by the coloured bands on the map below:
Map produced with MoonCalc
4 by Dr. Monzur Ahmed using Ilyas' criterion
On the evening of 18th January 1999, the orientation of the crescent
moon will be different depending on the location of the observer. Here are a few examples:
| Appearance of crescent (click for large
picture) |
Location |
Date |
Time Zone |
Sunset
(Local Time) |
Best time to see moon* |
Azimuth (at best time) |
Topocentric Altitude (at best time) |
 |
Makkah, Saudi Arabia |
18 Jan 1999 |
+3 hrs |
18:01 |
18:20 |
249 |
6.0 |
 |
Cairo, Egypt |
18 Jan 1999 |
+2 hrs |
17:19 |
17:40 |
246 |
5.9 |
 |
Dar Es Salam, Tanzania |
18 Jan 1999 |
+3 hrs |
18:47 |
19:05 |
254 |
5.2 |
 |
Lisbon, Portugal |
18 Jan 1999 |
+1 hr |
18:42 |
19:05 |
242 |
6.3 |
 |
Port of Spain, T&T |
18 Jan 1999 |
-4 hr |
18:04 |
18:22 |
251.4 |
9.4 |
 |
New York, USA |
18 Jan 1999 |
-5 hrs |
16:56 |
17:20 |
240 |
7.8 |
 |
Los Angeles, USA |
18 Jan 1999 |
-8 hrs |
17:10 |
17:31 |
242.6 |
10.0 |
Data and crescent simulations produced with MoonCalc 4 by Dr Monzur Ahmed
* Best time is taken as time when sun is approximately 5 degrees below horizon.
In some places the crescent will not be visible until the evening of 19th
January 1999. Again the orientation of the crescent moon will be different
depending on the location of the observer. Here are a few examples:
| Appearance of crescent (click for large
picture) |
Location |
Date |
Time Zone |
Sunset
(Local Time) |
Best time to see moon* |
Azimuth (at best time) |
Topocentric Altitude (at best time) |
 |
Melbourne, Australia |
19 Jan 1999 |
+10 hrs |
19:42 |
20:06 |
257 |
6.2 |
 |
Tokyo, Japan |
19 Jan 1999 |
+9 hrs |
16:54 |
17:16 |
240 |
12.9 |
 |
Singapore |
19 Jan 1999 |
+8 hrs |
19:17 |
19:35 |
254.6 |
15.6 |
Data and crescent simulations produced with MoonCalc 4 by Dr Monzur Ahmed
* Best time is taken as time when sun is approximately 5 degrees below horizon.
Glossary
Azimuth = angle in degrees clockwise from true
north (not compass north)
Altitude = angle in degrees above horizon to centre of moon
Topocentric = as seen by an observer on the surface of the earth
Best time = taken as the time when sun is 5 degrees below horizon
Related links:
Information on Islamic Calendar based on predicted moon sighting.
Information on start of Ramadhan and Eid ul-Fitr.
Information on Eid ul-Adha and Hajj.
Download the computer program MoonCalc - use it to produce data for your own
location if it is not shown above.
Back to Ramadhan index page
Copyright © by Dr. Monzur Ahmed
Last modified: 16th December 1998
monz@starlight.demon.co.uk
