JEDDAH — An expert stated that the astronomical calculations indicate that Friday will be the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. Eng. Majed Abu Zahra, president of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, said that there will be the occurrence of the phenomenon of conjugation before sunset on the evening of Thursday, Ramadan 29, corresponding to April 20. This means that the meeting of the sun and the moon at one height in the sky when they are on one celestial longitude and the moon is moving from the west of the sun to its east, which is a global event that takes place in one moment for all parts of the world. Speaking to Al-Arabiya.net, Abu Zahra said the sun will set from the horizon of Makkah at 06:42 in the evening of Thursday, and at that time the moon will be above the horizon at a height of 04 degrees, and the elongation or the angle that separates the moon from the sun is 05 degrees, and its illumination is 0.2 percent. The moon will set at 7:06 p.m. after 24 minutes of sunset, and thus the conditions for entering the month of Shawwal will be fulfilled astronomically. Abu Zahra said, however, sighting the Shawwal crescent with the naked eye or monitoring devices is not possible except through a CCD camera due to its scant illumination, its presence in the glow of the setting sun, and its short duration of stay above the horizon. He noted that on Friday, April 21, the sun will set from the horizon of Makkah at 06:43 p.m., and the moon will be above the horizon at an altitude of 16 degrees, and the elongation or the angle that separates it from the sun is 17 degrees, and its illumination is 2.4 percent. It will be very easy to see with the naked eye if the sky is clear, and it will set at 08:05 in the evening, one hour and 22 minutes after sunset.
