Preliminary results for the following New Crescent moons: 2005 2006 2007 October 03 January 29 January 19 November 02 February 28 February 17 December 01 March 29 March 19 December 31 April 27 April 17   May 27 May 16   June 25 June 15   July 25     August 23     September 22     October 22     November 20     December 20   Global Observation Distribution for 2005 October 03 New Moon: Approximately 200 observations were submitted during early October. The majority came from countries outside the United Kingdom. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. The United States was the primary source of observations. The geographical spread in the United States ranged from the US Virgin Islands to Hawaii and from Massachusetts to California. Other contributing countries included Australia, India, South Africa, Turkey, Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Spain, and Columbia. An observation was also made from a point off the south-east coast of Trinidad & Tobago! The majority of these observations were positive ones including several observers who made observations over two or three nights. UK Observation Distribution for 2005 October 03 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The observations which came from the United Kingdom were, for the most part, negative observations. It seems likely that the poor weather conditions over the UK at the time of the October new crescent moon played a significant role in the low number of observations. We hope to analyse the first set of sightings shortly to determine how many submissions were valid, and if any of the observations are critical ones which may impact on our current predictions. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations, please keep up the good work!  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2005 November 02 New Moon: Just over 120 observations were submitted during early November. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and The United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Sydney in Australia and from as far west as Anchorage in Alaska. Anchorage was also the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Sydney was also the most southerly. Nearly 34% of these observations were positive ones including one or two observers who made observations over two or three nights. UK Observation Distribution for 2005 November 02 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided the largest proportion of observations for this month. The observations from the United Kingdom were mostly negative observations. Only 11% were positive sightings. Once again, it seems likely that the poor weather conditions over the UK at the time of the November new crescent moon played a significant role in the low number of observations and positive sightings. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2005 December 01 New Moon: Just over 100 observations were submitted during early December. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Iran, Oman, Jordan, Lesotho, Poland, Greece, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Canada and The United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Anchorage in Alaska. Anchorage was also the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Perth was also the most southerly. Nearly 47% of these observations were positive ones including one or two observers who made observations over two or three nights. UK Observation Distribution for 2005 December 01 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 53% of observations for this month. The observations from the United Kingdom yielded more positive observations then the previous new moon. Nearly 45% were positive sightings. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2005 December 31 New Moon: Just over 70 observations were submitted during late December and early January. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Poland, Serbia & Montenegro, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Canada and The United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Berkeley in California. Aberdeenshire in Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Perth was also the most southerly. Nearly 46% of these observations were positive ones including one or two observers who made observations over two or three nights. UK Observation Distribution for 2005 December 31 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. Once again, the United Kingdom provided 53% of observations for this month. The observations from the United Kingdom yielded more positive observations than the previous new moon. More than 55% were positive sightings. On a personal note, the weather in Oxfordshire has finally allowed me to make my first contribution to this project as an observer. At 16:23 UT on 2006 January 1st, I observed the 37.2 hour-old new crescent moon in the south-western sky at an altitude of approximately 6°. The Moon was 3.5% illuminated, some 22° east of the Sun. The observation was made about half way through civil twilight when the Sun was nearly 3° below the horizon. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 January 29 New Moon: Nearly 90 observations were submitted during late January and early February. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Australia, Oman, Lesotho, Poland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Morocco, Canada and The United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Palmerston North in New Zealand and from as far west as Burnaby in Canada. Aberdeenshire in Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Palmerston North was also the most southerly. Just over 51% of these observations were positive ones including one or two observers who made observations over two or three nights. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 January 29 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 37% of observations for this month just pipping the United States by two submissions. The observations from the United Kingdom yielded nearly twice as many negative observations as positive observations for this new crescent moon. On a personal note, the weather in Oxfordshire allowed me to make my second contribution to this project as an observer. At 17:03 UT on 2006 January 31st, I observed the 50.8 hour-old new crescent moon in the south-western sky at an altitude of approximately 19°. The Moon was 6.5% illuminated, some 30° east of the Sun. The observation was made about a third of the way through civil twilight when the Sun was just over 2° below the horizon. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 February 28 New Moon: More than 160 observations were submitted during late February and early March. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Australia, Jordan, Poland, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Morocco, The Gambia, the Bahamas and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Palmerston North in New Zealand and from as far west as Oakland, California in the United States. Inverness in Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Palmerston North was also the most southerly. Nearly 75% of these observations were positive ones including several observers who made observations over two, three and four nights. There were a couple of reports of the new crescent moon being observed on February 28th from the west coast of the United States and one from Marrakesh in Morocco. Many observers who contacted the Moonwatch project noted how clear and sharp the new crescent moon was on March 1st. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 February 28 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 74% of the observations for this month of which 78% were positive ones. Good weather in the UK has yielded significantly more sightings than previous months. On a personal note, the weather in Oxfordshire allowed me to try and observe the new crescent moon on four nights from February 28th to March 3rd inclusive. Despite using binoculars, I did not sight the new crescent moon on February 28th. At 18:00 UT on 2006 March 1st, I observed the 41.5 hour-old new crescent moon in the west-south-western sky at an altitude of approximately 17°. The Moon was 4.2% illuminated, some 24° east of the Sun. The observation was made about half way through civil twilight when the Sun was just over 3° below the horizon. The sighting was classed as category A and was a relatively easy one Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 March 29 New Moon: Just under 100 observations were submitted during late March and early April. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Oman, Dubai, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Poland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Morocco, Canada and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Cool, California in the United States. Inverness in Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Perth was also the most southerly. An observation was also made shortly after the total eclipse of the Sun from a ship crossing the Mediterranean Sea! Nearly 55% of these observations were positive ones including several observers who made observations over two, three and four nights. There were a couple of reports of the new crescent moon being observed on March 29th from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in Canada and one from Nottingham in England. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 March 29 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 55% of the observations for this month of which 49% were positive ones. Poor weather in the UK has had reduced the number of sightings this month. On a personal note, poor weather in Oxfordshire prevented me making any observations this month. However, the weather in Turkey was good enough for an excellent view of the total eclipse of the Sun! Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 April 27 New Moon: Just under 120 observations were submitted during late April and early May. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Oman, Iran, South Africa, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Morocco and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Muscat in Oman and from as far west as Cool, California in the United States. Inverness in Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Cape Town in South Africa was the most southerly. Nearly 58% of these observations were positive ones including several observers who made observations over two, three and four nights. There were no reports of the new crescent moon being observed on April 27th. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 April 27 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 70% of the observations for this month of which 56% were positive ones. Poor weather again limited the number of sightings. On a personal note, the weather in Oxfordshire allowed one sighting of the new crescent moon on April 29th. At 20:44 UT, I observed the 48.0 hour-old new crescent moon in the western sky at an altitude of approximately 19°. The Moon was 5% illuminated, some 27° east of the Sun. The observation was made during civil twilight when the Sun was nearly 4° below the horizon. A photograph of this easy sighting is given below. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 May 27 New Moon: Just under 240 observations were submitted during late May and early June. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Brunei, Oman, Finland, Crete (Greece), Poland, South Africa, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Guyana and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei and from as far west as Castro Valley, California in the United States. Stronsay in the Orkney Islands was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Cape Town in South Africa was the most southerly. Nearly 58% of these observations were positive ones including several observers who made observations over two, three and four nights. There were a several reports of the new crescent moon being observed on May 27th from locations in New York, Cochise County in Arizona, Castro Valley and Morro Bay in California in the United States and one from Grimsby in England. Four of the U.S.-based sightings of the crescent were made with binoculars and then with the naked-eye. The remaining Arizona-based sighting of a 21-hour old crescent moon was made with the naked eye. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 May 27 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 83% of the observations for this month of which 55% were positive ones. Interest generated by an "Astronomy Now" article on a possible record sighting of a young crescent moon in the UK and an item on the BBC Radio 4 programme "Material World" seems to have swelled the number of observers this month. The Grimsby sighting is an interesting observation. If it can be verified, this would constitute a UK record naked-eye sighting of the new crescent moon at an age of 15.1 hours. The observation was made at 21:30 BST on May 27th when the Moon was 5 degrees above the horizon and the Sun was nearly 3° below the horizon. The observation was made with clouds on the western horizon when the crescent was 0.5% illuminated. Unfortunately, the observational record is not complete and we cannot completely rule out the possibility of a mis-identification. On a personal note, poor weather permitted me only one very easy sighting on May 30th. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 June 25 New Moon: A total of 160 observations were submitted during late June. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Brunei, Oman, Tanzania, Crete (Greece), Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Ireland, France, Spain, Canada and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Berkeley, California in the United States. Buckie in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Perth in Australia was the most southerly. Just under 41% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as four nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Muscat in Oman June 26th. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 June 25 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 76% of the observations for this month of which just over 38% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Harwell in Oxfordshire on June 27th. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 July 25 New Moon: More than 100 observations were submitted during late July. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Indonesia, Serbia, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Morocco and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Palmerston North in New Zealand and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Buckie in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Palmerston North in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just under 37% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as five nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Gunwalloe, Cornwall in the United Kingdom on July 26th. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 July 25 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 71% of the observations for this month of which just over 31% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Gunwalloe in Cornwall on July 26th. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 August 23 New Moon: More than 100 observations were submitted during late August. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, India, Poland, South Africa, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Chile, Canada and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Elgin in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Cape Town in South Africa was the most southerly. Just under 28% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as five nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Pulaski, Virginia in the United States on August 25th. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 August 23 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided 50% of the observations for this month of which just under 19% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made with optical assistance from Clarencefield in Dumfries and Galloway on August 26th. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 September 22 New Moon: Just under 70 observations were submitted during late September. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Oman, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman was the most southerly. Just under 29% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as five nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Athens, Alabama in the United States on September 24th. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 September 22 New Moon: The map below shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just under 64% of the observations for this month of which just under 23% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Plymouth in Devon on September 25th. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon until September 25th. The photograph below was taken from The Ridgeway, near West Ilsley, at 19:09 BST, halfway through civil twilight. The 78 hour-old Moon was 2.2° above the horizon, 9.4% illuminated and at an elongation of 36° from the Sun. This was predicted to be a category A sighting (easily visible). Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 October 22 New Moon: Just over 120 observations were submitted during late October. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Australia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Guyana and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Oamaru in New Zealand and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Buckie in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Oamaru in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just over 31% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as four nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Dadanawa, Guyana on October 23rd. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 October 22 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 51% of the observations for this month of which just under 23% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Eccles in Greater Manchester on October 25th. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon until an easy sighting was made on October 26th at 17:15 BST. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 November 20 New Moon: Just over 90 observations were submitted during late November. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Iran, Qatar, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Morocco and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Oamaru in New Zealand and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Forres in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Oamaru in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just over 35% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as four nights. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Doha, Qatar on November 22nd. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 November 20 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just under 63% of the observations for this month of which just over 35% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Somersham in Huntingdonshire on November 23rd. On a personal note, bad weather prevented any observations of this new crescent moon until a very easy sighting was made on November 25th at 18:00 UT in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2006 December 20 New Moon: Just under 60 observations were submitted during late December. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Guyana and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Oamaru in New Zealand and from as far west as Hayward, California in the United States. Forres in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Oamaru in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just under 41% of these observations were positive ones, including a few observers who made observations over as many as four nights. The overwhelming majority of positive observations came from the United States including our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month which came from Castle Rock, Colorado on December 21st. UK Observation Distribution for 2006 December 20 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided nearly 58% of the observations for this month of which nearly 42% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Barnard Castle in County Durham on December 22nd. On a personal note, fog prevented any observations of the moon before first quarter on December 27th. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2007 January 19 New Moon: Nearly 150 observations were submitted during middle to late January. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Indonesia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Ireland, Guyana and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Oamaru in New Zealand and from as far west as Bodega Bay, California in the United States. Forres in Morayshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Oamaru in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just over 73% of these observations were positive ones, including observers who made observations over as many as five nights. The overwhelming majority of positive observations came from the United Kingdom. Our earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month came from Louisville, Colorado on January 19th using a telescope. The earliest naked-eye sighting came from Qomsheh, Iran on January 20th. The sightings on January 20th were enhanced by the proximity of Venus to the new crescent moon. The geocentric conjunction between these two objects took place at 16:52 UT. The magnitude of Venus was -3.7 and the illuminated fraction of the Moon was 3%. The geocentric separation of the two objects was less than 1°.For observers in South Africa, the southern tip of South America and Antarctica, the effect of parallax meant that Venus was occulted by the crescent moon but for observers elsewhere in the world Venus lay to the north of the crescent moon. The image to the left of Venus and the new crescent moon was taken on 20th January 2007 at 17:48 UT from Plymouth, almost an hour after the geocentric conjunction of the two objects. Our thanks go to Jerry Lock for permission to use his fine photograph. This image was taken a quarter of an hour after the so-called "best time" to observe the crescent moon. This observation would be classed as a category A (easy) sighting. The crescent moon in this picture is nearly 5° above the horizon. Venus, at the top of this image, is a little over 6° above the horizon. Both objects lay in a south-westerly direction. The photograph was taken halfway through nautical twilight or about an hour after sunset, when the elongation of the 38-hour old Moon was 21° from the Sun. UK Observation Distribution for 2007 January 19 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 67% of the observations for this month of which nearly 79% were positive ones. Our earliest reported sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Guisborough in North Yorkshire on January 20th at 16:15 UT using binoculars. The earliest naked-eye sighting came from Edinburgh, Scotland on January 20th at 16:30 UT. On a personal note, I sighted the new crescent moon just below Venus on January 20th at 17:50 UT through clouds. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations and also to Jack in Soquel, California who provided this image of the crescent moon and Venus on January 21st 2007 at 17:45 PST.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2007 February 17 New Moon: Nearly 90 observations were submitted during late February. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Australia, Oman, Qatar, Poland, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Perth in Australia and from as far west as Berkeley, California in the United States. Inverness in Highland, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Perth in Australia was the most southerly. Just over 49% of these observations were positive ones, including a couple of observers who made observations over as many as four nights. The earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month was made using a telescope from Ibra, Oman on February 18th. The first reported naked-eye sighting was made from Krakow, Poland on February 18th. UK Observation Distribution for 2007 February 17 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided nearly 59% of the observations for this month of which just over 43% were positive ones. Our earliest reported naked-eye sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Chelmsford in Essex on February 19th. On a personal note, cloud prevented any observations of the Moon before a very easy sighting could be made through cloud on February 20th. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2007 March 19 New Moon: 140 observations were submitted during late March. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Morocco, Jamaica, Guyana and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Oamaru in New Zealand and from as far west as Santa Rosa, California in the United States. Ellon in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Oamaru in New Zealand was the most southerly. Just over 76% of these observations were positive ones, including several observers who made observations over three nights and one who made observations over five nights. The earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month was made from Union City, New Jersey in the United States on March 19th with the naked eye. UK Observation Distribution for 2007 March 19 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 61% of the observations for this month of which just under 83% were positive ones. Our earliest reported naked-eye sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from Plymouth, Devon on March 20th. On a personal note, sleet showers prevented any observations on March 19th. However, a very easy sighting was made and photographs were taken from Harwell on March 20th. The photograph above was taken at 18:44 UT towards the end of civil twilight and shows a 40 hour-old, 4% illuminated crescent. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top  Global Observation Distribution for 2007 April 17 New Moon: Just under 140 observations were submitted during late April. The map below shows the global distribution of observers denoted by the red dots. Contributing countries included Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Nigeria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States. Observations came from longitudes as far east as Karawang in Indonesia and from as far west as Olympia, Washington State in the United States. Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the most northerly latitude at which an observation was made and Karawang in Indonesia was the most southerly. Just over 86% of these observations were positive ones, including several observers who made observations over as many as five nights. The earliest reported sighting of new crescent moon this month was made from St. Albans, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom on April 17th with the naked eye. This sighting is an interesting one in that our current model would suggest that no sighting could be made from the United Kingdom on April 17th as the crescent lay beyond the Danjon limit. The only other reported sighting made on April 17th came from St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. This naked-eye sighting is also interesting in that our model suggests that this sighting would have required optical aid. Both sightings merit further investigation. UK Observation Distribution for 2007 April 17 New Moon: The map to the left shows the distribution of UK-based observers denoted by the red dots. The United Kingdom provided just over 75% of the observations for this month of which just over 89% were positive ones. Our earliest reported naked-eye sighting of the new crescent moon in the United Kingdom was made from St. Albans, Hertfordshire on April 17th. On a personal note, observations of this crescent moon were attempted without success on April 17th and successfully on the following three nights. Photographs were taken from Harwell and The Ridgeway in Oxfordshire on April 18th and April 19th. The photograph above was taken at 19:27 UT halfway through civil twilight and shows a 32 hour-old, 2.6% illuminated crescent. Our thanks to all those who submitted their observations.  Top