Ramadan 2020 expected to begin on April 24

Dubai: Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Member of the Arab union for astronomy and Space sciences, said that April 24 will mark the beginning of Ramadan, "astronomically".

Al Jarwan told 'Emarat Al Youm' newspaper that "the crescent of Ramadan will be born on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 06:26 am. At sunset of that day the crescent will be at a height of three degrees above the western horizon, and it will set 20 minutes after sunset.”

Those circumstances as explained by the astronomer will make the moon visible to the human eye at sunset on April 23, and that's why fasting will start on April 24.

Fasting hours, according to Al Jarwan, will be less than 15 hours this year; the first days of Ramadan are to be the shortest for fasting, 14 hours and 25 minutes. The longest fasting period - 14 hours and 57 minutes - will fall on the last day of the holy month.

30 days of fasting

Al Jarwan expected that the moon of the month of Shawwal will be born on Friday, May 22nd, at 21.39 pm, i.e. after sunset, so automatically Saturday would be a fasting day - it would be the 30th day of the month of Ramadan.

This would make Sunday, May 24th,  the first of Shawwal, and the first day of Eid.