• When to Observe Shawwal Waxing (NEW) Crescent ?
• Shawwal Waxing (NEW) Crescent Observation Results
• The OFFICIAL First Day in Different Countries
• ICOP Official Statement
• When to Observe Ramadan (OLD) Crescent ?
• Ramadan Waning (OLD) Crescent Observation Results

The geocentric conjunction (Geocentric New Moon) will occur Inshalla on (Monday 29 September 2008) at 08:12 UT.

Sighting the new crescent on (Monday 29 September 2008) and (Tuesday 30 September 2008) is shown in the below graphs using the program Accurate Times by Mohammad Odeh according to Odeh criterion. Where:-

• It is impossible to see the crescent from the areas located under the red color. Because either the Moon on this day sets before the Sunset and/or the topocentric conjunction occurs after the Sunset.
• The crescent is expected to be seen by optical aid only from the areas located under the blue color.
• The crescent is expected to be seen by optical aid from the areas located under the magenta color. In these areas the crescent could be seen by naked eye if the atmospheric conditions are superb and the observer is experienced.
• The crescent is expected to be easily visible by naked eye from the areas located under the green color.
• The crescent can not be seen from uncolored areas, even though the Moon sets in these locations after the Sunset and the topocentric conjunction occurs before the Sunset, but the Moon is not sufficiently illuminated in order to be seen as crescent even by optical aid.
• Kindly notice that the below graph shows the possibility of seeing the crescent from areas between 60 degrees north of Equator down to 60 degrees south of Equator.

Monday 29 September 2008

Tuesday 30 September 2008

According to the Universal Hejric Calendar (UHC), which is based on the calculated crescent visibility, the start of this month in the Eastern Region will be on Wednesday 01 October, and in the Western Region will be on Tuesday 30 September.

- Results of seeing the crescent, and the first day of the month in different countries will be added here Inshalla as we receive the reports from ICOP's members. If you wish to be a member in ICOP, or to know more about it, kindly click here.

So far, the earliest sighting of the crescent -after sunset- was on Tuesday 30 September 2008 by ICOP member Mr.Salah Sukkarieh from Australia, the crescent was also seen on this day from Indonesia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Bahrain, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and USA.

Monday 29 September 2008:

• Indonesia:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Tommy Hananto Aribowo said: "Bogor was raining during the sighting attempt, nothing seen"
  2. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Mutoha Arkanuddin said: "Sighting for Syawwal crescent's now held from Lhoknga Moon Observatory, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam the westest province in Indonesia and one of the six officially observatories who equiped with live broadcast sighting. According to the calculation for this location, moonset at 18:26 LT and sunset at 18:32 LT mean then moonset before sunset so that that crescent was not seen. Through Government Television Channel (TVRI), the Minister of Religious of Indonesian Government officially announced that the Ramadhan completed to 30 days (istikmal) and the first day of Shawwal 1429 AH is corresponding to Wednesday, 1 October 2008 CE. Happy Eid al Fitr and Taqaballahu minna Waminkum Taqabbal Ya Karim"
  
  3. Not Seen: ICOP member, Mr. AR Sugeng Riyadi said: "The New Crescent of Syawwal 1429 AH was NOT SEEN from Parangkusumo Beach Yogyakarta-INDONESIA. longitude = 110 19 21.04 E, latitude = 8 01 18.42 S elevation = 9 m zone = GMT+7, because: MoonSet @ 17:30 LT, and SunSet @ 17:33 LT, Based on this report and from anywhere in Indonesia, The Indonesian Ministry of Religion Affairs has officially declared on National Radio that the first Syawwal 1429 AH will begin on Wednesday, 1 October 2008. 'EID MUBAARAK to everyone."

  4. Not Seen: ICOP Member Dr. Susiknan Azhari said: "The Seven Central Observation (Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, Bosscha Bandung, Masjid Agung Semarang, Condrodipuro Gresik, Tanjung Kodok Lamongan, Makassar, and Kupang): Not seen the hilal Syawal. Muhammadiyah has announced through its formal announcemnet letter (Maklumat) number : 04/MLM/1.0 I E/2008 that 1 Syawal 1429 is corresponding to Wednesday ("Rabu Pahing") 1 October 2008. Al-Muhdhor Tulungagung (East Java) Idul Fitri = Sunday 28 September 2008, Tariqat Naqsyabandiyah Padang (West Sumatera) Idul Fitri = Monday 29 September 2008, An-Nadzir Go'a (South Sulawesi) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) Idul Fitri = Tuesday 30 September 2008."
• Malaysia:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Abdul Majid Abdul Wahid
  2. Not seen: ICOP member Kassim Bahali said: "The hilal sighting was held at Khawarizmi Observatory but the hilal was not seen even through the telescope and teodolite. The western sky was totally cloudy. The government have announced that the first of Shawwal begins on wednesday October 1, 2008. Eid Mubarak to all muslim and may Allah forgives us"
     
     
• Pakistan: Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Muhammad Sultan Alam said: "I tried to sight the moon in Karachi but not sighted, it was partially cloudy and hazy. On my request, members of personal moon-sighting committees of our institute (Jamia-tur-Rasheed) and my friends tried to sight the moon at 17 places all over Pakistan, but result was nil. Nearly, all reporters are religious scholars. Weather was almost clear at all places, they tried at these places, :Karachi (at 4 places), Tando-Allah yar, Dargai(Malakand), Hyderabad, Shorkot, Sheikhopura, Swabi, Battal, Abbotabad, Kohat, Jehlum, Khairpur, Newsaeedabad(Sindh), Charsaddah, Note: It was certain that the crescent would not be sighted anywhere in Pakistan tonight because moonset occurred before sunset and age of moon was hardly 5 hours. In spite of these facts, we tried to sight the moon only to increase the trust of common people upon the Science of Moon-sighting and because the people becomes confused due to the 29th day according to the Ummul-Qura calendar."

• South Africa:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Dr.Abdurrazak Ebrahim
• Nigeria:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Qamardeen Y Muhammad said: "I, with company of Abu Aisha try to observe the Hilal of Shawwal at Mongoro Bus-stop this evening, however in spite of clear sky the new hilal is not visible though Venus is seen glowing over the western sky"
• Tanzania:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Hamza Rijal said: "Hilal was not been sighted in the tiny island of Zanzibar, majority of Muslim in the tinny island of Zanzibar The New Crescent of Syawwal 1429 AH was NOT SEEN from anywhere in Zanzibar. Based on this information , Mufty office Religion Affairs has officially declared that the first Shawal 1429 AH will be on Wednesday, 1 october 2008. In Zanzibar there are two groups with their own way of celebrating Eid. The first group they always comply with Saudi report they are about 10% of them in the population of 1.1 million. Today 30 September is first Shawal and majority of Muslim will celebrate Eid tomorrow Insha-Allah.
• Burkina Faso:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Ibrahima Thierno said: "I pass the end of Ramadan in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), in west Africa. In Monday 29 september, just after maghrib, I have tried to see the crescent by naked eyes, but I haven't seen it"
• Bosnia and Herzegovi: Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Kemal Sehbajraktarevic said: "Eid mubarek to all. As usually Bosnian Islamic organization declared Eid based on moonset after sunset criteria earlier and confirm it few days ago."

• Norway:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Imran Mushtaq said: "Hilal not visible on Monday. Islamic Council of Norway have officially declared 01.10.1429 on Wednesday 01.10.2008. Eid Mubarak"
• UK:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Qamar Uddin said: "...The sky was overcast with clouds so it was not possible to sight the Hilal by the naked eye or binoculars. Many people in other parts of UK have also attempted to sight the Hilal, but they could not do so either. Furthermore, we have been unable obtain any reliable Hilal sighting news from any countries in the East of UK either (excluding Saudi Arabia). Therefore, the Ulama (including Wifaq and Batley) have decided that tomorrow, Tuesday 30 September 2008 shall be 30 Ramadan 1429 AH in UK and 1 Shawwal (Eidul Fitr) 1429 AH will be on Wednesday, 1 October 2008 Insha-Allah (completing 30 days of the month)"
  2. Not seen: ICOP member Dr.Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti said: "A group of us attempted to perform the obligatory sighting tonight for the Shawwal crescent in Oxford on 29 Ramadan, Monday 29th September, immediately after Maghrib prayers at the usual site. The local horizon is partly cloudy and the new crescent could not be sighted. By 'Isha time there were no reports of any credible sighting east of our location; rather, we received news of negative sightings in Morocco, South Africa, and Malaysia. Therefore, we should be completing 30 days [istikmal] for Ramadan with the Tarawih tonight, so that the first day of 'Id al-Fitr should, at the earliest, fall in the UK on Wednesday 1 October."
• Guyana: Not Seen: ICOP member Dr. Muhammad Hafiz said: "I tried to observe the Hilaal today (Monday, 29th September, 2008) but no crescent was observed. Also, there were no claims of Hilaal sighting in Guyana, which was impossible anyway in Guyana or the Caribbean. The Hilaal could only be seen by telescope in South America and observation is normally performed by naked eye, thus there were no observation by telescope.I wonder which man in Saudi saw the Hilaal, when it could not be seen hours later in South America?Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will report on Hilaal sighting in Guyana.We will complete 30 days of fast thus Eid Ul Fitir will be on Wednesday, 1st October, 2008 in Guyana."

Tuesday 30 September 2008:

• Australia:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr.Salah Sukkarieh said: "It was a bit hazy, with the haze reaching about 5 deg altitude on the horizon, however the hilal was just see before heading into the haze. The first observation I saw was at 6:20pm."
  2. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Ali Afroz said: "The crescent was sighted in Sydney and Brisbane. The official date for Shawwal, and 'Eid ul-Fitr in Australia is 1st October, 2008."
• Indonesia:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Ma'rufin Sudibyo said: "The young crescent images from 30th September 2008, captured from Condrodipo Hill, Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. At that time, MoonCalc v6.0 shows that Moon has Moon age 26 hour with Lag time 43 minute."

  2. Seen: ICOP member Mr.Mutoha Arkanuddin said: "Today (30/09) is the second day observation. The crescent was seen now from Gresik, East Java, Indonesia (7°10'11,1" S /112°37'2,5" E) by Indonesian Crescents Observation (ICO) member Abdul Moeid and Team. According to calculation sunset 17:24 and moonset 18:07. The crescent first visible by Theodolit NIKON NE202 at 17:15 (9 minutes before sunset) and can taken by digicam at 17:32 by naked eye at 17:33. Crescent last visible at 17:53 and lost behind clouds."
  
• Philippines:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Abu Ammar Mangorangca said: "Observation in Marawi City not practical due to mountain range obstructing western view. But two groups of volunteers, some of them with experience, went to different nearby cities with clear views to the western horizon.Not one of the teams was able to see the moon due mainly to bad weather now prevailing in southern Philippines. They reported that cloudy skies with some brief rainshowers were prevalent the whole afternoon and evening in the two cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro."
• Mauritius:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr.Hamade Aubdoollah
• Brunei Darussalam:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Hazarry Haji Ali Ahmad said: "A number of officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Department of State Mufti from the Prime Minister’s Office and Department of Survey from the Ministry of Development converged on September 30 (29th Ramadan) at a few vantage points to sight the new moon of Syawal. These took place at several locations namely Bukit Shahbandar in Jerudong, Bukit Agok Firing Range and Bukit Ambok in the Tutong district, and Bukit Lumut in the Belait district. It was confirmed that the new moon was not sighted and Aidilftri will commence on the 02 October 2008, Thursday."
• India:
  1. Not seen: ICOP memeber Mr. MM Ali said: "India celebrated Idd on Thursday 2 October 2008. Crescent moon could not be sighted on 30 Sep"

• Sri Lanka:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Dr. Aqil Ahmad said: "Hilal was sighted in many parts of Sri Lanka today 30.09.2008Authorities declared that Shawwal starts on 01.10.2008"
• Bangladesh:
  1. Not seen: ICOP memeber Mr. ABM Hassan said: "Late Shawal Report: Moon was not sighted in Bangladesh on 30th Sep. Ruia'ti Hilal Majlis and Islamic Foundation both have declared to complete the month in 30 days and to observe Eid On 2nd October."
  2. Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Azizul Huq said: "Before Magrib prayer I reached the rooftop of 14 storied building and observed the sunset. Due to iftar, prayer was delayed by15minutes. The sky at the western horizon was hazy but without cloud. Using binoculars I tried before and after Magrib prayer to observe the crescent moon but there is no sign of moon. The Islamic foundation responsible for Moon observation in Bangladesh just announced that moon was not visible, so Eid will be on Thursday 2nd October 2008."
• Pakistan:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr.Sultan Alam said: "Central committee has announced just now 10:45 (UT+6) that moon was sighted in Badin & Talhar etc then tommorrow wednesday 1st october is Eid in Pakistan.Sultan"
• Iran:
  1. Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Nima Mossayebi mentioned that he couldn't see the crescent by telescope from Isfahan city, and the sky was clear. Mr. Mossayebi said: "We were a group of astronomers called MAHTAB which is under supervision of Adib astronomy center. Observers: Nima Mossayebi, Soheila Mirshamshirgaran, Hesam Moradi, Mohammad Soltani, Mostafa Fakhar, Saeed Janghorban and Ms Salehi. Equipment: two 20*120 binoculars, 6 inches telescope, theodolite."

  2. Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Kian Heidari said: "The weather was almost sunny but some clouds above the horizon. Mr Zarrudi did NOT see the hilal from DinarSara of Nashtarud (Tonekabon). According to him it was humide. I(Kian Heidari) did NOT observe the crescent for I was late and some clouds above the horizon in the city of Tonekabon. My co-worker Mr.Shafii claimed he saw the hilal in ShirejMahalleh(Tonekabon) but after questing astronomically his claim was NOT accepted. In result,Eid in IRAN was on Wednesday October 1st. Mr Hamedi declared did NOT sight the hilal in Tonekabon. Caspian Sky Crescent Observation Group. Islamic Republic of IRAN."

  3. Not Seen/Hazy: ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Zahed Aram mentioned that he couldn't see the crescent by binocular from Saravan city, and the sky was hazy.

  4. Cloudy: ICOP member Mr. Kambiz Khaleghi mentioned that he couldn't see the crescent by binocular from Oroumieh city, and the sky was totally cloudy.

  5. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Majid Marzani said: "It was clear but the crescent was not Seen in varamin to kermanshah air way"
  6. Seen: ICOP member Mr.Mohamad Soltanolkotabi said: "Our group consisted of two teams. The first team went to Marshinan on Sep 29th before Sunset. The members were : Mohamad Soltanolkottabi, Abbas Ahmadian , Puyan Ebrahimi & Mehdi Fatehi. We arrived at Marshinan 1 day earlier to adjust our binoculars & telescope for moonsighting on 30th . we used astronomical objects to lock our instruments on several positions where the new crescent would cross on the 30th.We were sure that the crescent would pass through the 20*120 binoculars, 30 minutes before Sunset , through the 20*80 ,15 minutes before Sunset & through the telescope at 15:11 on Tuesday.We also used a 15*70 to look for the crescent on the 30th during the day. Finally Mr. Ahmadian found it via the relative altitude & relative azimuth of the Moon.The first observation occured at 13:01 by Abas Ahmadian , The second at 13:25 by Mohammad Soltanolkottabi & The third at 13:45 by Mehdi FatehiThis time we saw the crescent with the 15*70 binoculars , for a period of several minutes each. At 15:11 , as expected , Mr Ahmadian Saw the crescent through the Telescope , & Mr Fatehi saw it for the second time. After that we followed the moon & were able to see it several times. The other team arrived at Marshinan at 4pm with their 20*110 & 20*80 binoculars . Mr Karimi approached the telescope & was able to see the thin crescent at 4:35 & then Mr. Zolfaghari Rad also could see it for a few minutes at 4:38 . Mr Ahmadian & Mr Karimi tried to photograph the moon. Fortunately they were successful & they could take a number of pictures by a Nikon coolpix 4500 digital camera behind the telescope using a converter. These shots were taken at about 5pm. I should say that observing the crescent became more difficult as its altitude decreased .It is interesting to mention that observing the crescent was considerably easier at 13:30 by the 15*70 binoculars than the observation with the telescope around sunset.However Mr. Karimi & Mr. Ahmadian were able to see the crescent one more time after sunset at 5:53.(7 minutes after Sunset).Unfortunately observing the moon by the 20*120 & 20*80 binoculars was not successful . we were sure that the crescent was in the field of view however it was not observable. "
     
     
     
• Oman:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Sulaiman Al-Busaidi from Jabal Shams mentioned that the cresent was seen from different locations in Oman by naked eye.
  2. Not Seen: ICOP member Mr. Marwan Shwaiki mentioned that he couldn't see the crescent by 10" telescope from Adam city, and the atmospheric conditions were hazy.
• Saudi:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr. Saleh Al-Saab said: "The crescent sets only 25 minutes after the sun"
• Bahrain:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr.A.Hameed Haji said: "The new Cresent was seen with walialaser team and Dr. Waheeb AL-Naser (BAHRAIN ASTRONOMY SOCIETY VICE PRESIDENT) was one of the group observation"
• Kuwait:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr. Hussain Khushaish said: "In Kuwait at At Abdally Farms in north Kuwait on Tuesday 30 Sep 2008 I could not see the crescent even with 8' gps guided telescope. The telescope was aligned previous night and the alignment was confirmed today by seeing Jupiter and Venus 25 minutes before the sunset thats at 17:10 but we could not see the crescent neither by naked eyes or binocular or telescope.Mercury which was close to the crescent location and was seen by the telescope with difficulty and it was spread and vibrating.The western horizon was very clear that we saw the upper edge of the sun to the last second as per the attached photo and later I could see the milky way easily which is rare in Kuwait."
     
  
• Lebanon:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Dr. Ahmad Raad
• Morocco:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Amraoui Ali said: "The crescent of Shawwal was seen in Morocco. The Eid is Wednesday 1st October."
• Senegal:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Dr. Abdoulaye Gaye said: "I am glad to let you know that the crescent has been sighted in many locations in our country this Tuesday September 30, 2008. The National Committee in charge for Crescent Sighting has announced that Eid al Fitr will be celebrated tomorrow Wednesday 1, October"
• Namibia:
  1. Not seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Ahmed Mohamed said: "Moon was not sighted in Windhoek NAMIBIA, on Monday 29th, therefore eid will be on Wednesday, completing 30 days. We wish everyone the most Happy Greetings of Eid Ul Fitr. May God bless all who have fasted during this month and may He accept all our Ibada (worship). We beseech God for His guidance in all our thoughts and actions. May He help all of us share in the joy of our friends and family. May He help us remember and feel the suffering of those who are disadvantaged and oppressed so that we may work to establish peace and justice for all"
• Tanzania:
  1. Seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Zaffar Shariff said: "Clear skies made it possible for the 31hr crescent to be seen just 15minutes after sunset."
  2. Seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Mutoha Arkanuddin said: "Today (30/09) is the second day observation. The crescent was seen now from Gresik, East Java, Indonesia (7°10'11,1" S /112°37'2,5" E) by Indonesian Crescents Observation (ICO) member Abdul Moeid and Team. According to calculation sunset 17:24 and moonset 18:07. The crescent first visible by Theodolit NIKON NE202 at 17:15 (9 minutes before sunset) and can taken by digicam at 17:32 by naked eye at 17:33. Crescent last visible at 17:53 and lost behind clouds."

• South Africa:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Dr. Abdurrazak Ebrahim said: "Crescent sighted by naked eye at 19h05 local Cape Town timeLocation – Signal Hill [320 m above sea level]"
     
• Nigeria:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr. Qamardeen Yasin Muhammad said: "It was cloud at time of sunset here at Agege,lagos, hence no positive sigthing however as the month had run for thirty day, Eidul mubarak to all the Muslim..."
  2. Not seen: ICOP member Dr.Mushtaq said: "A bright star but no moon sighted due to haziness of the western horizonEidel Mubarak"
  3. Not Seen/Hazy: ICOP member Imam Majolagbe Monsuru said: "I and Ustaz Abdul-Rasaq Abdul-Azeez Ishola attempted sighting after sunset at akute , Ogun State Nigeria but was not successfull due to hazenesss of the cloud."

  4. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Lukuman Aminu said: "The cresent was sighted in six different locations in Lagos, Nigeria on tuesday (after 29 Ramadan). Those of us that witnessed the Ramadan crescent before comencing our fasting celebrated our Eild on Wednesday (01/10/2008)In-Sha-ALLAH. Eil-Mubarak"
• Spain:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr. Muhammad del Pozo said: "The Amir of the Spanish Community of Spain has declared that tomorrow 01 September is the Id Al Fitr"
• Germany:
  1. Not seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Samy Khadem-Al-Charieh said: "(Sep 30th) we had very bad weather conditionsbut anyway moonset was eleven minutes before sunset here.So this was not a big problem"
• Trinidad and Tobago:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Abdurrahman Ali said: "The crescent was sighted in many parts of Trinidad. It was not seen in Barbados, Grenada"
• Guyana:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. M. Hafiz said: "Myself and all of the members of Rose Hall Town Masjid and Islamic Center easily observed the Hilaal after sunset on Tuesday, 30th September, 2008 in Rose Hall Town, Guyana, South America. The Hilaal was easily seen at 5:55 PM (Guyana Time). Other Muslims communities in Guyana also observed the Hilaal today, making Wednesday, 1 October, 2008, the first day of Shawwal and the day of Eid Ul Fitir.Once again Eid Ul Fitir to all. May Allah (SWT) accept our fast and grant to us his mercy, forgiveness and freedom from the fire of Hell in this blessed month"
• USA:

  1. Not Seen/Partly Cloudy: ICOP member Mr. Javad Torabinejad from (Blacksburg, VA) said: "This evening, Tuesday September 30, 2008, using binoculars (10X50 and 7X50), we tried sighting the moon from Blacksburg, VA with no success. We arrived at our sighting location at 6:30 (sunset 7:05) and stayed till moonset (7:28) scanning the WSW horizon for most part of that period. The western horizon was partly cloudy and hazy, perhaps the reason for the negative sighting. Although, Venus was easily visible, we could not see Mars."

  2. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Hussain Dashti from (Gainesville, FL) said:
     For the first time since I came to the states I was able to locate the Crescent, it is always cloudy here in florida everthough the weather is extremely clear due to the continuous rain.

     The calculation for the crescent in Gainesville, Florida taday, Sep 30 2008 were as follows:
     T. Moon Age: +40H 05M
     Sunset 7:15 pm
     moonset 7:48 pm
     moon lag time: 33 min
     Relative Azimuth: -18°:14':42
     Moon Altitude: +05°:46':55
     Elongation: +19°:22':57"
     

     Actual sighting: the sky was partially cloudy and I was only able to locate the crecsent with my binocular
     sunset 7:13
     crecsent first seen with 10*50 binocular 7:23
     crecsent last seen with 10*50 binocular 7:41
     

Wednesday 1 October 2008:

• Macedonia: Seen: ICOP memeber Mr. M. al-Mjri mentioned that he was able to see the crescent by naked eye.

• Germany:
  1. Not seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Samy Khadem-Al-Charieh said: "We were going today (Oct 1st) to an observation location here in Berlinand we had a good view on the horizon and the sky was clearin the interesting areas.Sunset was at 18:43 and moonset was at 18:49.We were on location from about 18:30 till 19:00 o'clock.We saw a beautiful sunset and at 18:48 Venus was visible with binocular and five minutes later we could see it also with unaided eyes.But all of us we couldn't see the crescent"
  2. Not Seen: ICOP memeber Mr. Gerhard Ahmad Kaufmann mentioned that it was totally cloudy.
• UK:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Qamar Uddin said: "On Wednesday 1 October 2008, corresponding to 1 Shawwal 1429 AH, I (Qamar Uddin) was invited by my colleagues from York Astronomical Society (YAS) to observe the crescent moon (Hilal) with the aid of a Meade LX200GPS (computerised) telescope. Although we had already begun the Islamic lunar month (see my previous report), I needed no second bidding, as I was very keen to check if the 57 hours old crescent moon could be visible or not from UK as predicted by visibility calculations. I have observed the western horizon (which was fairly clear) at the left of sunset, from before and after the Magrib (sunset) prayer (18:30 - 19:00 hrs BST), but I was unable to sight it. I had two experienced YAS amateur astronomers with me, but they were unable to sight it either.This observation experience left me wondering how could some people in the Middle East claim to have sighted the 6 hours old Hilal on Monday 29 September 2008, when the visibility predictions indicated it to be impossible (as it had set before the sun). I would like to request all Muslims to attempt observing the Hilal every month so that the Fard (obligatory) Ibadah (worship) of millions of Muslims are not ruined due to the mistakes made by a few inexperienced people!"

The OFFICIAL First Day in Different Countries

Countries in Green color are Muslim countries (member of the Organization of The Islamic Conference [OIC])

Monday 29 September 2008:

1. Nigeria (Claim of Sighting)

Tuesday 30 September 2008:

1. Afghanistan (following saudi)
2. Saudi (Claim of Sighting)
3. UAE (following saudi)
4. Kuwait (following saudi)
5. Qatar (follwing saudi)
6. Bahrain (following saudi)
7. Yemen(following saudi)
8. Iraq (following saudi)
9. Lebanon (following saudi)
10. Jordan (following saudi)
11. Palestine (follwing saudi)
12. Sudan (following saudi)
13. Libya (Conjunction before Dawn)
14. Somalia
15. Uganda
16. Burkina Faso
17. Ivory Coast
18. Mali
19. Niger
20. Albania
21. Azerbaijan
22. Kazakhstan
23. Turkey (Astronomical Calculations)
24. Ethiopia
25. UK (Following Saudi / Also on Wednesdsay 01 October 2008)
26. USA (Following Saudi / Also on Wednesdsay 01 October 2008)

Wednesday 01 October 2008:

1. Indonesia
2. Malaysia
3. Maldives
4. Pakistan (Claim of Sighting)
5. Iran (Actual Crescent Sighting)
6. Oman (Actual Crescent Sighting)
7. Syria
8. Egypt
9. Tunisia
10. Algeria
11. Morocco
12. Mauritania
13. Senegal
14. Suriname
15. Sierra Leone
16. Gabon
17. Gambia
18. Mozambique
19. Tanzania
20. Guyana
21. Uzbekistan
22. Tajikistan
23. Australia
24. Phillipines
25. Thailand
26. Singapore
27. Japan (Islamic Center)
28. Kenya
29. South Africa
30. France
31. Switzerland
32. Norway
33. Poland
34. Moldavia
35. Sweden
36. Finland
37. Iceland
38. USA (ISNA). Also on Tuesday 30 Septemeber 2008
39. UK (Also on Tuesday 30 September 2008)
40. Canada (Muslim Council of Montreal)

Thursday 02 October 2008:

1. India
2. Bangladesh
3. Brunei Darussalam
4. Turkmenistan

ICOP Official Statement

• Kindly Click Here to read ICOP official statement (Arabic).

When to Observe Ramadan Waning (OLD) Crescent ?

The geocentric conjunction (Geocentric New Moon) will occur Inshalla on (Monday 29 September 2008) at 08:12 UT.

Sighting the OLD crescent on (Monday 29 September 2008) and on (Sunday 28 September 2008) is shown in the below graphs using the program Accurate Times by Mohammad Odeh according to Odeh criterion. Where:-

• It is impossible to see the OLD crescent from the areas located under the red color. Because either the Moon on this day rises after the Sunrise and/or the topocentric conjunction occurs before the Sunrise.
• The crescent is expected to be seen by optical aid only from the areas located under the blue color.
• The crescent is expected to be seen by optical aid from the areas located under the magenta color.. In these areas the crescent could be seen by naked eye if the atmospheric conditions are superb and the observer is experienced.
• The crescent is expected to be easily visible by naked eye from the areas located under the green color.
• The crescent can not be seen from uncolored areas, even though the Moon rises in these locations before the Sunrise and the topocentric conjunction occurs after the Sunrise, but the Moon is not sufficiently illuminated in order to be seen as crescent even by optical aid.
• Kindly notice that the below graph shows the possibility of seeing the crescent from areas between 60 degrees north of Equator down to 60 degrees south of Equator.

Monday 29 September 2008
Sunday 28 September 2008

Ramadan Waning (OLD) Crescent Observation Results

Sunday 28 September 2008:

• Indonesia:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. AR Sugeng Riyadi said: "On Sunday 28 Sept 2008, We Could See the Waning Crescent of Ramadhan 1429 H naked Eye from PPMI "Assalaam" Surakarta Indonesia (7° 33' 11.49" S,110° 46' 14.83" E, GMT+7, elev=111). Moonrise @ 04:20 LT, Sunrise @ 05:23 LT. The Old Crescent was SEEN from 04:40 LT, alt=3°55' up to 05:17 LT, alt = 13°18'."

  2. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Ma'rufin Sudibyo said: "The old crescent observation conducted at Sunday 28th September 2008 at 7deg 40min South 109deg 40min East height 21 m ASL and time zone = GMT + 7, with naked eye and optical aid (a 7 x 35 mm binocular). We was started it at 04:57 local time. The eastern sky was clear but horizon covered by thin clouds until altitude approximately 1 degree. We was used visibility of bright stars like Sirius and Canopus where both stars located at high altitude as twilight – increase indicator. The crescent was seen at start of our observation, both by naked eye or optical aid. It elongate to north and its horn (crescent tip) has orientation 3 – 7. The old crescent was seen obscurely since 05:05 and begin not seen with naked eye at 05:09. Canopus was not seen since 05:12 and Sirius since 05:15. At 05:25 the old crescent only seen by optical aid and look thinner in width than 20 minutes before, with it orientation drop to 3,5 – 6,5. At 05:31 we observed local apparent sunrise in our place. At that time the old crescent was seen but with very thin width than before sunrise and has orientation 4 – 6. The crescent started unseen by optical aid since 05:36 local time."
     

• Iran:
  1. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Alireza Mehrani said:Location: Esfahan, Iran
     Latitude: 32° 35' 41.95" N
     Longitude: 51° 39' 14.34" E
     Elevation: 1789 meters from sea level
     Time zone: +3.5
     
     Date: Sunday September 28, 2008 (Mehr 7, 1387)
     Temperature: +11 C°
     Barometer: 1016 mb
     Visibility: 6 km
     Wind: 8 kph
     Humidity: 44%
     
     Topocentric and local time values from "Moon Calculator" (Refrac off):
     File name: amehrani sep 28, 2008-old-1.jpg
     Time: 05:20 LT (01:50 UT)
     Moon Alt: 5° 24' 37"
     Sun Alt: - (8° 18' 24")
     Elongation: 14° 39' 29"
     Rel Azi: 5° 10' 56"
     Moon Width: 0.51'
     Moon Phase: 1.84%
     Moon Age: 30h 22m before conjunction
     
     Camera: Digital camera (Sony DSC H9)
     Focal Length: 58mm
     F-Number: F/4.5
     ISO Speed: ISO-80
     Exposure Time: 1.6 sec
     Observer & photographer: Alireza Mehrani
  2. Seen: ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Zahed Aram mentioned that he was able to see the crescent from Saravn by naked eye.

  3. Not Seen/Hazy: ICOP member Mr. Kian Heidari said: "By the name of Allah on Sunday Ramadan27th,1429 September28th,2008 Ramadan old hilal wasn't seen neither by Mr.Akhtarkavian in Nashtarud ,nor by Kian Heidari in Tonekabon. In Nashtarud because of dusty horizon and in Tonekabon maybe for daylight and humidity of the Caspian Sea. Caspian Sky Crescent Observation Group Islamic Republic of IRAN Tonekabon"
• Germany:
  1. Seen: ICOP Member Mr.Martin Elsaesser said:"Due to autumn fog (visibility<50m) i could not observe the "old" lunar crescent during morning twilight from munich. The fog/clouds departed around noon, so i used the well established realtime-video technique to capture/observe the crescent during the day.The crescent could be easily seen on the monitor for several hours in the afternoon. Later, the crescent vanished in the clouds again, about 1 hour before moonset. Attempts to observe the crescent visually through the same telescope were not successfull, due to low contrast with the remaining haze"
     
• USA:
  1. Not seen: ICOP member Mr.Jim Stamm said:
     Old Moon Crescent Observation Report
     ====================================
     Observed: 2008 Sep 28
     Location = Tucson, Arizona (USA)
     Longitude = 110.9645 W
     Latitude = 32.4204 N
     Elevation = 842 meters
     Time Zone = -7.0 hours
     Surface conditions at
     Tucson International Airport (805 m):
     Temperature = 22 degrees Celsius
     Relative Humidity = 47 percent
     Sea Level Pressure = 1013 mb
     
     Magnitude limit at 13 degrees altitude with 55 power
     in C-8 telescope, before onset of twilight = 11.0
     
     Topocentric and local time values from “Accurate Times”:
     Moonrise (at sea level) = 05:32
     Sunrise (at sea level) = 06:11
     Time from new moon at 06:45 = 17 hr. 55 min.
     Moon lag time = 39 min.
     Relative Altitude = 4.83 degrees
     Elongation from sun = 19.00 degrees
     Crescent width = 12 arc seconds
     Illumination = 0.62 percent
     
     I was NOT able to see the crescent, even through a telescope. There was a tree branch in the FOV at 7 degrees altitude, so I had to raise my telescope to 13 degrees altitude. I chose to do this rather than move the telescope, so as to practice acquiring the crescent in a brighter sky.
     
     Observer(s): Jim Stamm

---

By Emad Ashi and Moh'd Odeh. Copyright © 1998-2008 Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP), All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission. For more information Kindly send E-mail