Most countries around the world will observe the Shawwal crescent moon on Saturday, March 29, to mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr 2025.
But according to the International Astronomical Center, “Sighting the crescent moon on that day is impossible from the eastern part of the world, and it is not possible from the rest of the Arab and Islamic world using all observation methods, including the naked eye, telescopes, and astronomical photography technology.”
Eid al-Fitr 2025 is expected to take place either on Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31, depending on the sighting of the moon.
If the Shawwal crescent moon is sighted on Ramadan 29, the holiday will begin on Sunday, March 30, and run until Tuesday, April 1. Taking into account the weekend, it would mean a four-day holiday for UAE residents.
However, if the moon is not sighted on the 29th, the month of Ramadan will be 30 days and the 30th day will be considered a holiday in addition to the first three days of Shawwal. In this case, Eid Al Fitr 2025 will begin on Monday, March 31, and run until Wednesday, April 2. In addition to the weekend, UAE residents would have five days off (Saturday to Wednesday).
Crescent moon to be visible in central, northern Americas
The center added that the Shawwal crescent moon will be visible by telescope from the central and northern parts of the Americas. Even with a telescope, sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye is very difficult from the eastern part of the Americas. The crescent moon can only be seen with the naked eye from the Pacific Ocean to the western United States.
“For countries that require an accurate crescent sighting, Ramadan is expected to last 30 days and Eid al-Fitr will fall on Monday, March 31. However, given that the conjunction will occur on Saturday, March 29, before sunset, and that the moon will set after sunset in the central and western parts of the Islamic world, it is customary under such circumstances for some countries to declare the beginning of the month the following day. Therefore, it is not unlikely that some countries will declare Eid al-Fitr 2025 on Sunday, March 30,” added the center.
The center explained that it will be impossible to see the Shawwal crescent from the areas located under the red color because the Moon will either set before the Sunset and/or the topocentric conjunction will occur after the sunset on this day.
The Shawwal crescent is expected to be seen by optical aid only from the areas located under the blue color and the magenta color. In these areas, the crescent may be seen by the naked eye if the sky is clear.
The center added that the Shawwal crescent is expected to be easily visible by the naked eye from the areas located under the green color. However, it may not be seen from uncolored areas, even though the Moon sets in these locations after sunset and the topocentric conjunction occurs before sunset.
Read: When will the UAE celebrate Eid Al Fitr 2025? Expected dates revealed
Partial solar eclipse to impact moon sighting
The International Astronomical Center added that sighting the Shawwal crescent moon on March 29 is not possible even using the latest scientific crescent observation technology, namely astronomical imaging using a CCD camera, which can see the crescent even in broad daylight due to its superior power.
The moon’s distance from the sun at sunset on Saturday ranges from 1.5 degrees in the eastern regions of the Arab world to nearly three degrees in the western regions. These values ​​do not allow for sighting the crescent moon even using this technology. With the naked eye, the crescent has never been seen correctly when its distance from the sun was less than 7.6 degrees, and with a telescope, it has never been seen at less than 6.0 degrees.
To further confirm the impossibility of seeing the Shawwal crescent moon on Saturday from the Arab region, the center added that Earth will witness a partial solar eclipse at noon on Saturday, visible from parts of the western Arab world, such as Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
