The crescent moon marking the start of Shawwal will be impossible to sight on Wednesday, according to the International Astronomy Centre (IAC), indicating that Eid Al Fitr is astronomically expected to fall on Friday, March 20.

Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the Abu Dhabi-based International Astronomy Centre, said countries that began Ramadan on Wednesday, February 18, will attempt to sight the Eid crescent on Wednesday, March 18.

Meanwhile, countries that started Ramadan on Thursday, February 19, will look for the crescent on Thursday, March 19, which corresponds to the 29th day of Ramadan in those countries.

Crescent sighting impossible on Wednesday

Odeh explained that sighting the Shawwal crescent on March 18 will be impossible because the moon will set before the sun, while the astronomical conjunction will occur after sunset.

As a result, countries following this calendar are expected to complete 30 days of Ramadan, making Friday, March 20, the first day of Eid Al Fitr.

Sighting conditions on Thursday

For countries observing the crescent on Thursday, March 19, Odeh said sighting it will be impossible in the eastern parts of the world.

However, it may be possible with telescopes in parts of West Asia and central and northern Africa, while naked-eye sighting would be extremely difficult in western Europe and western Africa.

He noted that the crescent could be seen relatively easily with the naked eye across most of North America.

However, he added that because of the difficulty of observing the crescent in large parts of the Islamic world, especially in eastern and central regions, some countries may not confirm the sighting, which could result in Saturday, March 21, being declared Eid in those locations.

Visibility challenges

Odeh noted that historically, the lowest values recorded for a crescent successfully seen with the naked eye were a lag time of 29 minutes after sunset, a moon age of 15 hours and 33 minutes, and an angular separation of 7.6 degrees.

However, he emphasised that exceeding these values does not guarantee visibility, as crescent observation depends on several factors, including its angular distance from the sun and altitude above the horizon.