According to a statement made by the International Astronomy Centre, several Islamic countries are expecting the holy month of Ramazan to begin on March 12.
On March 10 at 9 a.m. GMT, the sun and moon will form a crucial conjunction.
But from any place in the Arab and Islamic globe, whether by eye or telescope, the sighting of the crescent on March 10 seems unlikely, the statement continued.
As the sun sets on March 10, many Islamic cities will watch as the moon dips below the horizon.
The moon will set thirteen minutes after sunset in Makkah at a lunar age of six hours and twenty-two minutes. Similarly, it will be 7 hours and 2 minutes old when it sets in Cairo, which is 14 minutes after sunset.
According to Engineer Muhammad Shawkat Odeh of the International Astronomy Centre, a crescent moon needs to be at least 29 minutes long, more than 15 hours and 33 minutes old, and more than 7.6 degrees distant from the sun in order to be visible. The moon will fall short of these requirements on March 10.
Accordingly, the new crescent moon will be visible to the majority of nations on March 11, and Ramazan will begin on March 12.
Odeh said that on March 11, at 15 to 25 minutes after sunset, near the western horizon, the crescent could be seen fairly clearly with the naked eye.
The likelihood of seeing the crescent on Sunday, March 10, appears low according to numerous scientific criteria for crescent visibility, as stated by scholars such as Ibn Tariq, Wutheringham, Maunder, Parwin, Elias, astronomical observatories like SAAO, and researchers Yallop and Odeh.
According to their calculations, the Islamic and Arab worlds will not be able to see the crescent moon that day—not even with a telescope—but western regions, including some parts of the Americas, might be able to see it on March 10th.
If the Ramadan moon is visible in South Asian countries (such as Pakistan) on March 11, then the first day of fasting for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia will be March 12. If the moon is not visible on March 11, then the first day of fasting for Pakistan and other South Asian countries will be March 13.
