Astronomers confirm the Shaaban crescent is not visible on January 18

Abu Dhabi: The Islamic month of Rajab will complete 30 days in many parts of the Muslim world after astronomers confirmed that the crescent of Shaaban cannot be sighted on Sunday, January 18, due to unfavourable astronomical conditions.

The International Astronomical Center said Sunday corresponds to the 29th day of Rajab 1447 AH in several Islamic countries. 

However, the Shaaban crescent will be impossible to observe from anywhere in the Islamic world on that day, as the moon will set before the sun, making sighting scientifically unfeasible.

At the same time, astronomers confirmed that the crescent of Rajab remains visible and was successfully observed earlier in the day, with daytime imaging capturing the moon shortly before sunset. 

As a result, these countries will complete Rajab as a 30-day month, with Tuesday marking the first day of Shaaban.

Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, director of the centre, said that in a number of other Islamic countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Albania, the 29th day of Rajab will fall on Monday, January 19.

In those countries, he said, observing the Shaaban crescent on Monday will be possible in most parts of the Islamic world using telescopes only. 

However, such observations would be extremely difficult in Australia, Europe, much of Asia and eastern Africa. Visibility with relative ease is expected from central, western and southern Africa, as well as parts of the Americas.

He added that naked-eye visibility of the crescent is expected to be possible only from central regions of North and South America.

Based on these projections, most countries are expected to begin Shaaban on Tuesday, January 20, while some may declare its start on Wednesday, January 21.

Providing detailed astronomical data, Odeh said the moon’s position at sunset on Monday varies across cities. In Jakarta, the moon will set 30 minutes after sunset, with an age of 16 hours and 26 minutes. 

In Abu Dhabi, moonset will occur 35 minutes after sunset, with the moon aged 17 hours and 56 minutes. In Riyadh, the moon will set after 36 minutes, at 18 hours and 18 minutes old.

In Amman and Jerusalem, moonset will occur 37 minutes after sunset, with an age of 18 hours and 35 minutes. Cairo will see the moon set after 38 minutes, at 18 hours and 48 minutes old, while in Rabat the moon will set 43 minutes after sunset, with an age of 20 hours and 32 minutes.

Odeh said that in all these locations, crescent visibility will be possible using telescopes only, with a very slim chance of naked-eye sighting from Rabat and southern Morocco.

He stressed that while certain numerical thresholds are useful indicators, they do not alone guarantee visibility. The shortest lunar age ever recorded for naked-eye sighting was 15 hours and 33 minutes, and the shortest moonset interval was 29 minutes. However, visibility also depends on other factors, including the moon’s angular distance from the sun and its altitude above the horizon at the time of observation.

The International Astronomical Center said detailed crescent-sighting results can be accessed through the Islamic Crescents Observation Project on its official website.