Crescent Moon Sighting Criteria
For the start of the Islamic month we look for the first possibility of seeing the new Moon with the naked eye. If this is seen anywhere in a country, we take it as the sighting for the whole of country and declare the start of the Islamic month. Criteria we use is from the Royal Observatory see website http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/websurf/
which is as follows:-
A: Easily visible
B: Visible under perfect conditions
C: May need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
D: Will need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
E: Not visible with a telescope
F: Not visible, below the Danjon limit
Criteria A, B or C is used for sighting of the new Moon.
In criteria, C, if one knows where to look, one can see the Moon with the naked eye.
If anywhere in a country, it is possible to see the Moon with the naked eye (condition C or higher exists) the whole country can start the new Islamic month.
In the case of Ramadhan, the next day would be the first day of fasting for the country.
Get the Salat CalculatorApp:
Set Adhan Alarms, get Salat times and Qibla direction from your current location
Note:
The App relies on the daylight time setting the mobile device is currently set to.
When the mobile device adjusts it’s daylight saving setting,
the app will automatically adjust the Salat times accordingly.
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