Have you ever wondered at what stage you can see the new crescent moon?
In September 2010, New Moon will occur on September 8th. The sighting of
the new crescent Moon marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month
of fasting, and the beginning of Eid ul-Fitr.
There is a remote possibility of a telescopic sighting of the new crescent
Moon from the southernmost part of South America on September 8th. However,
the first sighting of the crescent Moon is most likely to be made with the
naked eye from Australasia on September 9th. Indeed, most of the southern
hemisphere, north Africa and the United States should see the crescent moon
later that same day. For observers in southern Asia, the Arabian peninsula
and the Middle East, good conditions and/or some form of optical aid may be
necessary to see the crescent Moon on September 9th. Observers in the rest
of Asia (excluding the northern parts), Europe and Canada will have their
first opportunity to make a sighting on September 10th. Observers in
northern Asia will have to wait until September 11th to make their first
sighting. Like the August new crescent Moon, UK observers will find that
the Moon sets at around sunset for the first few days after New Moon. This
will be an interesting test of our predictions and provide the opportunity
of making a daylight sighting of the new crescent Moon. If you do attempt
a daylight sighting, do not look at the Sun with the naked eye or with
optical aid. Consequently, we would like to encourage as many observers as
possible to try and observe the new crescent Moon from September 8th to
September 11th in particular.
Please note: If you have subscribed to our
e-mail warning of the date of the new Moon and failed to receive any
warning, particularly since November 2009, could you please let
us know.
If you go out just after sunset over the three or four days following the
instant of new moon and have a look low in the western half of the sky
near where the sun set, you can try and observe the new crescent moon.
You can make the observation with just your eyes or with binoculars or
a telescope. Never look at the Sun directly
or through binoculars or a telescope as you will damage your eyesight.
If you are going to use binoculars or a telescope to find the new
crescent moon, you must make sure the Sun has set.
The crescent moon will be faint shortly after new moon but will brighten
from night to night as the crescent thickens. Cloud or aircraft vapour
trails can easily be mistaken for the Moon so be careful when making the
observation.
Scan the western horizon close to where the Sun set. If you can see the
Moon, let us know by entering your observation and location in our report
form. We need to know the date and time of your observation, what the
crescent looked like, where it was in the sky relative to the position
on the horizon where the Sun set and something about the weather
conditions and you, the observer. Even if the weather is clear and you
cannot see the Moon, let us know. A negative observation will also help
us!
Come back to this site later in the month and you can find out what you
should have seen from your observing site. You can also sign up for an
e-mail reminder of the date and time of the next new moon so you can try
your observing skills again.
Over time, we will process your observations and try to improve the models
we use to predict the first sighting of the new crescent moon. Currently,
these predictions produce a classification for a particular date and
location ranging from A (crescent easily visible) through to F (crescent
impossible to see).
For those groups who use the first sighting of the new crescent moon in
their calendars, these predictions are very significant and mark the
beginning and end of periods of fasting and festivals.
More information on these predictions is
available on this site.
This site allows observers to look at the global visibility of the next new moon, to check their observations of the last new moon, to report their observations and to receive (or stop) e-mail reminders of the next new moon.
Preliminary results will also be reported on the site when they become available. |
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| What we want you to do |
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- Go out each evening following the day of the new moon.
- Find a westerly facing spot with a clear view of the horizon.
- Wait for the Sun to set, then look for the crescent moon in that part of the sky.
- Don't look directly at the Sun, using your naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
- Can you see the crescent moon? Are you sure? Is it a cloud or a vapour trail?
- Make a note of where you were, the date and time of your observation, the weather conditions and whether you saw the Moon or not.
- Come to this website and report your observation.
- Try and observe the crescent moon each night until you see it, reporting each observation attempt.
- Sign up for an e-mail reminder of the next new moon and come back next month and try the same thing again.
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