Indonesia confirms first day of Ramadan 2026
Meanwhile, authorities in the Gulf region are preparing to sight the crescent as well
Authorities in Indonesia announced on Tuesday that Thursday, February 19, will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.
The decision comes after observers in the country were unable to sight the crescent.
This follows an identical decision earlier today by several Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Gulf region are preparing to sight the crescent as well.
However, the crescent marking the start of the Islamic month is not expected to be visible across most Arab and Islamic countries on Tuesday evening, February 17, according to calculations released by the International Astronomical Centre.
Astronomers traditionally calculate sunset based on the upper limb of the moon’s disc. However, as the moon is forecast to set before the sun this month in several cities worldwide, calculations in such cases are based on the lower limb of the lunar disc, since any potential crescent would appear along its lower edge.
