The International Astronomy Center announced that Islamic countries will observe the crescent moon marking the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah 1447 AH on Sunday, 17 May 2026, noting that the crescent is expected to be visible that day in most parts of the Islamic world.
اضافة اعلان
The center stated that the crescent will be visible through telescopes from East Asia, southern Africa, and southern South America, while naked-eye visibility will be possible from Central and West Asia, North Africa, and most parts of the Americas.
Given the expected visibility of the crescent across the Islamic world on Sunday evening, the center anticipates that Monday, 18 May will mark the first day of Dhul-Hijjah, with Wednesday, 27 May expected to be the first day of Eid al-Adha in most Islamic countries.
The center provided details on the moon’s position in several Arab and international cities at sunset on 17 May:
Jakarta: Moonset occurs 26 minutes after sunset; crescent age 15 hours and 36 minutes; visible by telescope only.
Abu Dhabi: Moonset 58 minutes after sunset; crescent age 18 hours and 45 minutes.
Mecca: Moonset 58 minutes after sunset; crescent age 19 hours and 22 minutes.
Amman and Jerusalem: Moonset 69 minutes after sunset; crescent age 19 hours and 55 minutes.
Cairo: Moonset 67 minutes after sunset; crescent age 20 hours.
Rabat: Moonset 79 minutes after sunset; crescent age 22 hours and 6 minutes.
The center said the crescent should be relatively easy to observe with the naked eye in Abu Dhabi, Mecca, Amman, Jerusalem, Cairo, and Rabat.
It added that the shortest duration a crescent has remained visible and still been successfully observed with the naked eye was 29 minutes, while the youngest crescent ever successfully observed was 15 hours and 33 minutes old.
However, the center stressed that exceeding these values does not automatically guarantee visibility, as successful observation also depends on several other factors, including the angular distance from the sun, the moon’s altitude above the horizon at observation time, atmospheric clarity, and the observer’s experience.
The Islamic Crescent Observation Project, affiliated with the International Astronomy Center, invited those interested to follow moon-sighting updates through its website and participate in observation efforts by submitting verified sightings.
The project, established in 1998, currently includes more than 1,500 members, including astronomers and individuals interested in moon sighting and calendar calculations.
