Likely Eid Al Fitr UAE date announced by astronomical centre

The International Astronomical Centre (IAC) this week predicted the start of the Eid Al Fitr for most of the Islamic nations.

The IAC released a statement on their official website regarding the sighting of the Shawwal crescent (Eid Al Fitr). The statement was issued and signed by 28 specialists in the fields of space and astronomy from 14 countries.

The statement said that the sighting of the crescent would be impossible from all the continents on Monday, June 3. The IAC said that it would be possible to sight the moon with a telescope only if the atmosphere is clear in some western parts of the Americas and the Pacific Ocean on June 3.

The crescent in Arab countries will be absent on Monday, June 3. It will appear for a very short period after sunset which is not enough to spot it by any means, according to the IAC.

More on the status of the crescent on June 3:

> In Mecca, the moon will be gone after five minutes from sunset.

> In Sanaa and in the far south-west of Egypt, the moon will appear for six minutes after sunset.

> In Riyadh, the moon will appear for three minutes from sunset. When the sun sets at 6:39 pm, the moon will rise from the horizon only half a degree, which makes it impossible to see it with the naked eye.

> In Baghdad, Kuwait, Manama, and Abu Dhabi, the moon will disappear after two minutes from sunset.

> In Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, the moon will appear for one minute before sunset, so spotting the crescent is impossible.

> In Doha, the moon will appear for three minutes after sunset.

> In Amman, Jerusalem, Damascus and Beirut, the moon will disappear after four minutes from sunset.

> In Tripoli and Tunis, the moon will appear seven minutes from sunset.

> In Khartoum, the moon will be gone eight minutes after sunset.

> In the far south of Algeria, the moon will disappear after eleven minutes from sunset.

According to previous sightings of the crescent, spotting the moon on Monday, June 3, is not possible by the naked eye, telescope and high-resolution digital imaging technology (CCD), because the angular dimension of the moon from the sun is very short.

Sighting of the moon with the naked eye would be possible in most Arab nations, Asia, Africa, and part of Australia on Tuesday, June 4.

Countries that started Ramadan on Monday, May 6, and require sighting the crescent to enter the month of Shawwal, are expected to complete 30 days of fasting.

However, countries that spot the moon after the sun sets over the horizon or depend on the possibility of sighting the crescent somewhere in the world are expected to complete 29 days of Ramadan.

Countries that began Ramadan on Tuesday, May 7, including Brunei, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Oman, and Morocco will complete 29 days of fasting. They will be able to spot the crescent on June 4, making Wednesday, June 5, the first day of Eid Al Fitr, IAC noted.