Sharjah astronomers predict first day of Eid Al Fitr in UAE

March 20 is astronomically likely to be the first day of Eid Al Fitr in UAE, as predicted by the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, represented by the Sharjah Astronomical Observatory.

Calculations reveal no visible new moon on Wednesday, March 18, or 29 Ramadan, the eve of crescent sighting. The moon sets before the sun in the western sky that night. Thursday, March 19, thus rounds out the holy month, the academy predicted.

Ramadan Prayer Timings

Recommended For You

‘Strait of Hormuz not owned by a single country’: UAE minister calls for ‘unconditional opening’

Meta releases first new AI model since shaking up team

Dubai's DMCC launches Maritime Centre to tap shipping, logistics sectors

Artemis II crew hours away from high-stakes re-entry after historic Moon journey

Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei has severe and disfiguring wounds, sources say

 

The observatory details the moon's surface conjunction over Sharjah at 4.24am on Thursday. By sunset that evening, the crescent will boast just 14 hours and six minutes of age, a mere 6.5-degree elongation from the sun, and six degrees above the western horizon – lingering 29 minutes post-sunset.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp channels.

These critical conditions render sighting improbable, even with telescopes, and impossible by naked eye locally. Advanced stacked imaging might capture it faintly, but odds remain slim.

Yet some Arab and Muslim nations may glimpse the crescent moon unaided or telescopically, thanks to favorable geography.

The academy forecast that March 20 ushers in Shawwal's first day and Eid al-Fitr for the UAE and most Islamic countries. Naked-eye or telescope reliant states might delay to Saturday.