Islamic Crescents' Observation Project

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World Record Crescent Observations


Last Updated 17 January 2010

In This Page:-


Naked Eye Observations

Below are the details of the world record crescent observations, which were seen by naked eye, we will list three records, which are: youngest age, minimum lag time and smallest elongation from Sun.

Youngest Age:-

  • Observer Name: John Pierce
  • Month Name: Shaban 1410 AH.
  • Location: Collins Gap, Tennessee, USA.
  • Longitude: 83.5 W
  • Latitude: 35.6 N
  • Elevation: 1500 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 25 February 1990 CE, at 08:54 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 25 February 1990 CE, at 08:22 UT.
  • First Visibility: 25 February 1990, at 23:55 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At First Visibility): 15 hours and 33 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At First Visibility): 15 hours and 01 minute.
  • Lag time: 39 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 7.6 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 0.6 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 7.6 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: Prof. Bradley Schaefer Papers.

Minimum Lag Time:-

  • Observer Name: N/A
  • Month Name: Rabeea' Awwal 1411 AH.
  • Location: Ashdod, Palestine.
  • Longitude: 34.7 E
  • Latitude: 31.8 N
  • Elevation: 60 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 18 September 1990 CE, at 23:37 UT
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 19 September 1990 CE, at 00:46 UT
  • First Visibility: 20 September 1990 CE.
  • Topocentric Age (At Best Time): 40 hours and 18 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Best Time): 39 hours and 09 minutes.
  • Lag time: 29 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 19.4 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 18.4 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 5.9 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: SAAO Papers.

Smallest Elongation from Sun:-

  • Observer Name: John Pierce
  • Month Name: Shaban 1410 AH.
  • Location: Tennessee, USA.
  • Longitude: 83.5 W
  • Latitude: 35.6 N
  • Elevation: 1500 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 25 February 1990 CE, at 08:54 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 25 February 1990 CE, at 08:22 UT.
  • First Visibility: 25 February 1990, at 23:55 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At First Visibility): 15 hours and 33 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At First Visibility): 15 hours and 01 minute.
  • Lag time: 39 minutes
  • Elongation (at First Visibility): 7.7 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 0.6 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 7.6 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: Prof. Bradley Schaefer Papers.


Optical Aid Observations

Below are the details of the world record crescent observations, which were seen using optical aid, we will list four records, which are: youngest topocentric age, youngest geocentric age, minimum lag time and smallest elongation from Sun.

Youngest Topocentric Age:-

  • Observer Name: Jim Stamm
  • Month Name: Ramadan 1416 AH.
  • Equipment: 8" Telescope at 50X.
  • Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
  • Longitude: 111.0 W
  • Latitude: 32.4 N
  • Elevation: 850 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 20 January 1996 CE, at 11:43 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 20 January 1996 CE, at 12:50 UT.
  • First Visibility: 21 January 1996 CE, at 00:57 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At First Visibility): 13 hours and 14 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At First Visibility): 12 hours and 07 minutes.
  • Lag time: 39 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 7.7 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 2.0 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 7.5 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: Prof. Bradley Schaefer Papers.

Youngest Geocentric Age:-

  • Observer Name: Mohsen Mirsaeed
  • Month Name: Rajab 1423 AH.
  • Equipment: 40x150 Binocular.
  • Location: Rashk bala, Zarand, Kerman, Iran.
  • Longitude: 56.5 E
  • Latitude: 31.1 N
  • Elevation: 2110 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 07 September 2002 CE, at 01:29 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 07 September 2002 CE, at 03:10 UT.
  • First Visibility: 07 September 2002 CE, at 14:47 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At First Visibility): 13 hours and 18 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At First Visibility): 11 hours and 37 minutes.
  • Lag time: 34 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 7.5 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 2.8 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 7.0 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: ICOP.

Minimum Lag Time:-

  • Observer Name: Abbas Ahmadian.
  • Month Name: Ramadan 1428 AH.
  • Equipment: 14" Telescope.
  • Location: Esfahan, Iran.
  • Longitude: 52.23 E
  • Latitude: 32.45 N
  • Elevation: 3350 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 11 September 2007 CE, at 13:50 UT
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 11 September 2007 CE, at 12:44 UT
  • First Visibility: 12 September 2007 CE, at 14:49 UT
  • Topocentric Age (At Best Time): 25 hours and 11 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Best Time): 26 hours and 16 minutes.
  • Lag time: 20 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 12.1 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 11.4 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 4.1 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: ICOP.

Smallest Elongation from Sun:-

  • Observer Name: Jim Stamm
  • Month Name: Shaban 1425 AH Waning Crescent (Old, Morning).
  • Equipment: 8" Telescope.
  • Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
  • Longitude: 110.68 W
  • Latitude: 32.4 N
  • Elevation: 2210 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 14 October 2004 CE, at 03:38 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 14 October 2004 CE, at 02:48 UT.
  • Last Visibility: 13 October 2004 CE, at 13:16 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At Last Visibility): 14 hours and 22 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Last Visibility): 13 hours and 22 minute.
  • Lag time: 32 minutes
  • Elongation (at Last Visibility): 6.4 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 0.4 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 6.5 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: ICOP.


Daylight Observations

Below are the details of young crescents which were observed at daylight time using optical aid, and the observer was not able to see the crescent after sunset despite having clear sky after sunset.

Shawwal 1428 AH:-

  • Observer Name: Jim Stamm
  • Month Name: Shawwal 1428 AH.
  • Equipment: 8" Telescope.
  • Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
  • Longitude: 110.9645 W
  • Latitude: 32.4204 N
  • Elevation: 842 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 11 October 2007 CE, at 05:23 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 11 October 2007 CE, at 05:01 UT.
  • First Visibility: 11 October 2007 CE, at 21:40 UT (14:40 LT).
  • Topocentric Age (At First Visibility): 16 hours and 17 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At First Visibility): 16 hours and 39 minutes.
  • Lag time: 05 minutes
  • Elongation (At First Visibility): 8.8 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at First Visibility): 10.2 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at First Visibility): 2.7 degrees.
  • Moon Altitude (at First Visibility): 34.1 degrees.
  • Sun Altitude (at First Visibility): 36.8 degrees.
  • Note: The observer was not able to see the crescent even through the telescope after sunset! It was only seen at daylight time.
  • Source of Observation: ICOP.


Ordinary Imaging

Below are the details and photos of the world record crescent observations captured by ordinary camera, we will list three records, which are: youngest age, minimum lag time and smallest elongation from Sun.

Youngest Age:-

  • Observer Name: Joko Satria A. & Chin Wei Loon.
  • Month Name: Sha'ban 1431 AH.
  • Location: Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
  • Longitude: 101.86 E.
  • Latitude: 02.45 N.
  • Elevation: 5m.
  • Telescope: Borg 101ED APO f/6.3 Refractor.
  • Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D.
  • Shooting Date: 12 July 2010 CE.
  • Shooting Time: 19:50:42 (UT+8).
  • Shooting Mode: Manual Exposure.
  • Shutter Speed: 1/6 seconds.
  • ISO Speed: 800.
  • Temperature: 28.5? C.
  • Humidity: 88%.
  • Atmospheric Pressure: 1014 mb.
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 11 July 2010, at 18:53 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 11 July 2010, at 19:40 UT.
  • Photo Time: 12 July 2010, at 11:51 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At Photo Time): 16 hours and 58 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Photo Time): 16 hours and 11 minutes.
  • Lag Time: 33 minutes.
  • Topocentric Elongation (At Photo Time): 8.53 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (At Photo Time) : -3.76 degrees.
  • Relative Altitude (At Photo Time) : 7.67 degrees.
  • Other Observers: Saedah Binti Haron, Mohd. Hafiz Mohd. Saadon, Muhammad Shamim B. Shukor.


Minimum Lag Time:-

  • Observer Name: Abbas Ahmadian.
  • Month Name: Ramadan 1428 AH.
  • Equipment: 14" Telescope.
  • Location: Esfahan, Iran.
  • Longitude: 52.23 E
  • Latitude: 32.45 N
  • Elevation: 3350 m
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 11 September 2007 CE, at 13:50 UT
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 11 September 2007 CE, at 12:44 UT
  • Photo Time: 12 September 2007 CE, at 14:50 UT
  • Topocentric Age (At Best Time): 25 hours and 11 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Best Time): 26 hours and 16 minutes.
  • Lag time: 20 minutes
  • Elongation (at Best Time): 12.1 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (at Best Time): 11.4 degree.
  • Relative Altitude (at Best Time): 4.1 degrees.
  • Source of Observation: ICOP.


Smallest Elongation from Sun:-

  • Observer Name: Prof. Dato, Dr. Mohd. Zambri Zainuddin, Joko Satria A. and Chin Wei Loon.
  • Month Name: Muharram 1432 AH.
  • Location: Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
  • Longitude: 101.86 E.
  • Latitude: 02.45 N.
  • Elevation: 5m.
  • Telescope: Borg 101ED APO f/6.3 Refractor.
  • Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D.
  • Shooting Date: : 06 December 2010 CE.
  • Shooting Time: 19:28:53 (UT+8).
  • Shooting Mode: Manual Exposure.
  • Shutter Speed: 1/13 seconds.
  • ISO Speed: 800.
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 05 December 2010 CE, at 17:28 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 05 December 2010 CE, at 17:36 UT.
  • Photo Time: 06 December 2010 CE, at 11:29 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At Photo Time): 18 hours and 01 minute.
  • Geocentric Age (At Photo Time): 17 hours and 53 minutes.
  • Lag Time: 36 minutes.
  • Topocentric Elongation (At Photo Time): 8.37 degrees.
  • Relative Azimuth (At Photo Time) : -1.89 degrees.
  • Relative Altitude (At Photo Time) : 8.16 degrees.


CCD Imaging

Below are the details and photos of crescents captured by a CCD camera with filters using special telescope, and then the observer made some image processing to enhance the results. All these pictures were taken during broad daylight!

Youngest Geocentric Age:-


Youngest Topocentric Age:-

  • Observer Name: Martin Elsasser.
  • Month Name: Jumadal A'ula 1429 AH.
  • Location: Munich, Germany.
  • Longitude: 11°36'25"E
  • Latitude: 48°07'18"N
  • Elevation: 550m.
  • Telescope: Williams FLT110, at 770mm focal length, with MAM50 mount.
  • Camera Model: DMK41AF02.AS
  • Filter: Visual/ir filters in the telescope, transmission starts at 680nm.
  • Number of Frames: Unknown [About 300 frames (pictures)].
  • Shooting Date: 05 May 2008 CE.
  • Shooting Time: 15:03 (UT+2).
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 05 May 2008 CE, at 13:07 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 05 May 2008 CE, at 12:18 UT.
  • Photo Time: 05 May 2008 CE, at 13:03 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At Photo Time): Minus ZERO hours and 04 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Photo Time): ZERO Hours and 45 minutes.
  • Topocentric Elongation (At Photo Time): 4.585 degrees.


    Kindly Click on the Image to Enlarge


Smallest Elongation from Sun:-

  • Observer Name: Thierry Legault.
  • Month Name: Jumadal A'ula 1431 AH.
  • Location: Montfaucon, France.
  • Longitude: 1°34'30"E
  • Latitude: 44°41'52"N
  • Elevation: 300m.
  • Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106ED with focal reducer (D=106mm, F=400mm) on Losmandy Titan German equatorial mount.
  • Camera Model: Lumenera Skynyx L2-2 monochrome video camera (1616x1212 pixels of 4.4 microns).
  • Filter: Low-pass infrared filter 850nm in luminance.
  • Number of Frames: 500 frames (pictures).
  • Shooting Date: 14 April 2010 CE.
  • Shooting Time: 14:29 (UT+2).
  • Topocentric Conjunction: 14 April 2010 CE, at 13:22 UT.
  • Geocentric Conjunction: 14 April 2010 CE, at 12:29 UT.
  • Photo Time: 14 April 2010 CE, at 12:29 UT.
  • Topocentric Age (At Photo Time): Minus 00 hours and 53 minutes.
  • Geocentric Age (At Photo Time): ZERO Hours ZERO minutes!!
  • Topocentric Elongation (At Photo Time): 4.554 degrees.


    Kindly Click on the Image to Enlarge


Definitions

  • Topocentric Age: Time elapsed from the topocentric conjunction up to the time of interest.
  • Geocentric Age: Time elapsed from the geocentric conjunction up to the time of interest.
  • Lag time: Time difference between sunset and moonset, or from moonrise and sunrise for waning crescent
  • Elongation: Topocentric angular separation between the centers of Sun and Moon. It is called Arc of Light as well (ARCL).
  • Relative Azimuth: Topocentric azimuth difference between Sun and Moon. It is called Delta Azimuth as well (DAZ).
  • Relative Altitude:Topocentric altitude difference between Sun and Moon. It is called Arc of Vision as well (ARCV).
  • Moon Altitude: Topocentric Moon airless altitude not corrected for refraction.
  • Sun Altitude: Topocentric Sun airless altitude not corrected for refraction.

    Note from ICOP Memeber Mr. Qamar Uddin: "Please could you also make a special mention of the fact that those "World Records Crescent Observations" are carried out by astronomy experts, who have a lot of experience of knowing when and where to look (possibly with optical aids to find the moon)! So, that ordinary Muslims may not "blame" themselves for not seeing the crescent at the same time/location."


    By Mohammad Odeh. Copyright © 1998-2010 Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP), All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission. For more information
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