International Astronomical Center

So far, the earliest sighting of the crescent was on Friday 09 August from Malaysia by ICOP member, Mr. Kassim Bahali. The crescent was also seen on this day from Iran, Jordan, Nigeria, South Africa, USA.

Friday 09 August 2002

• Indonesia: ICOP member, Suwandojo Siddiq said: "I would like to report The Hilal sighting of Jumada ath Thani 1423H, from Bandung, West Jawa, Indonesia. Location: Bandung, 06deg : 57 min South, 107deg:37min East, Time Zone = GMT + 7 hrs. At sunset (Maghrib): Bandung 17:54 Local Time, Friday 09-August-2002, the Hilal (Crescent Moon) could NOT be seen. It was NOT visible by my naked eyes on western sky. The next day, Saturday 10-August-2002, sunset 17:54. After Maghrib, (11 menutes after sunset) at 18:05, I COULD see the Hilal (Crescent ) clearly by my naked eyes on west sky. The altitude approximately 15 deg."

• Malaysia: ICOP member, Mr. Kassim Bahali said: "Alhamdulillah, I and other observer saw the hilal for Jamidul Thani 1423 at Teluk Kemang near Port Dickson. The hilal was seen by 8" and 10" Meade LX200 telescope and Theodolite. It was very thin crescent. The Hilal was seen after sunset at local time 19:55 but disappear after 3 minutes later, due to covered by cloud."

• Singapore: ICOP member, Mr. Muhammad Ridhwan said: "On 9 August 2002 Friday, about 6.00pm. The weather is very cloudy because of rainy and with thunder. So I didn't go to the park too, because On 9 August is our national day for 37 years independent. About the New Month of Jamadil Akhir 1423h. Falls on Saturday,10 of August 2002, 1st Jamadil Awal 1423 hijrah. OK thats all for today, about 1st day of Jamadil Awal and Ass'salamu'alaikum too all people who read this message."

• India: ICOP member, Dr. Sultan Ismail said: "The monsoon has set in here and the sky very cloudy. I am sorry I was uable to sight the moon."

• Maldives: ICOP member, Mr. Ahmed Salih said: "This is rainy season and dark clouds were on the horizon. Similar situation for the last two months. Crescent was not seen neither on the day or the day after it was supposed to be seen by the local calendar."

• Iran:
  1. ICOP member, Mr. AliReza Mehrani said:

     "Location = Adib center, Esfahan, Iran
      Longitude = 51:41 E
      Latitude  =  32:38 N
      Elevation = 1500 meters
      Time Zone = + 4:30
      Date = August 9, 2002
     
     Local Sunset at   7:51 p.m.  
     
     Crescent first observed through  12" LX200 telescope:
     Time     =    8:03 p.m. ( by Meysam Chitsaz)
     
     
     Crescent first observed through  20x60 binoculars:
     Time     =    8:05 p.m. ( by Saeid Janghorban)
     
     Crescent first observed with the naked eye:
     Time     =    8:14 p.m. (by Saeid Janghorban)
     
     
     Final observation with naked eye:
     Time     =    8:15 p.m. (by Meysam Chitsaz)
     
     Final observation with 12" LX200 telescope:
     Time     =    8:33 p.m. (by Meysam Chitsaz)
     
     Final observation with binoculars:
     Time     =    8:35 p.m (by Alireza Mehrani & Saeid Janghorban)
     
     Observers: Alireza Mehrani (8" telescope & 12x70 binoculars), 
     Saeid Janghorban (20x60 binoculars), Meysam Chitsaz (12" LX200 
     telescope & 20x60 binoculars)"
     

  2. ICOP member, Mr. Saeed Janghorban said: "We were three persons team. I with Mr. Alireza Mehrani, other ICOP members, and Mr. Meysam Chitsaz that I used a 20*60 binocular, Mr. Mehrani used a 8 inch telescope, and Mr. Chitsaz used a 12 inch telescope for finding moon crescent. In fact this was a practice for next month crescet that is critical. I was the first man who could observe this crescent with naked eye. I could observe the crescent only for 10 seconds and at next because of very low thickness of the crescent we couldn’t observe the crescent any more."

• Saudi: ICOP member, Mr. Saleh Al-Saab said: "Unfortiunately no instroment was available this time, and the naked eye was not enough to see the crescent. Also I am so sorry for not being able to share last month observation because I was out of the country."

• Bahrain: ICOP member, Mr. Fathi Mayoof said: "The parameters of crescent were very good, but the bad weather conditions prevented observation."

• Kuwait: ICOP member, Mr. Hussain Khushaish said: "On Friday 9 AUGUST 2002 I COULD NOT SEE THE CRESCENT EVEN WITH 20*60 BINOCULAR. ACTUALLY I could not see the Sun disc 10 minutes before our local sunset due to fine dust & haze at the last 9 degrees."

• Jordan: ICOP member, Mohammad Odeh said: "I've seen the crescent along with another 6 persons from Ash-Sharah Mountains 230 Km South of Amman (1735 meters above sea level) by 10" LX200 Meade Telescope one minutes before sunset, and a few minutes later I was able to see it by naked eyes. Many observers of JAS were able to see the crescent by naked eyes from Amman, too."

• Syria: ICOP member, Prof. Hasan Bilani mentioned that the crescent was not seen due to the hazy weather.

• Algeria: ICOP member, Mr. Bankih Bankacem said: "The sunset was behind clouds at 19h 19m LT, at about 1.5°. Venus was seen by naked eyes at 19h 46m. Through the summer observations we have done here in Mzab, we noticed that the west horizon is almost always hazy."

• Morocco: ICOP member, Dr. Abdelkhalek Cheddadi said: "The Ministery of Awqaf declared that the new crescent was observed on Friday evening; so 1st of Jumada II in Morocco is officially Saturday, August 10. I tried to observe the crescent on Friday evening in the city of Tangiers (Northern Morocco), but the western sky was hazy."

• Nigeria:

  1. ICOP member, Mr. Usman Dukku said: "Three of us sighted the crescent twenty minutes after sunset here in Bauchi."

  2. ICOP member, Dr. Sani Mustapha said: "The crescent was not observable today as the horizon was cloudy. This the summer season."

• South Africa: ICOP member, Mr. Abdurrazak Ebrahim Snr said: "The Hilaal for Jamadith Thani 1423 was sighted at Bakoven (approx. 30 km southwest of Cape Town) at 18h50 local time. The Hilaal was sighted just above the horizon and below the visible star Regulus. In Southern Africa the official first day of Jamadith Thani 1423 will correspond to Saturday 10th August 2002."

• Germany: ICOP member, Mr. Gerhard Ahmad Kaufmann mentioned that the sky was cloudy.

• USA:
  1. ICOP member, Mr. Jim Stamm said: "I observed the Hilal this evening through monsoon clouds. Although it was the first evening that it was visible the sighting was trivial, the crescent being more than 30 hours old."

  2. ICOP member, Mr. Gulamabbas Khakoo said: "Sighted the "CRESCENT" with naked eye for the month of Jamadil-al-Thani this evening of August 9th, 2002. Local time 20:00Hrs here in the city of Buena Park, (approx. 30 miles south of Los Angeles). The top horn of the crescent was approx. at 1 and the bottom horn was approx. just after 7. The sighting was very clear. May ALLAH S.W.T grant us Maghferat for our short comings and guide us all at the right path. With Salaams and Dua's."

  3. ICOP member, Mr. Muhammad Hafiz said: "New Crescent observation in Opa Locka, Florida, USA on Friday, 9th August, 2002 was impossible due to rainy clouds on the western horizon."

  4. ICOP member, Mr. Khalid Shaukat said: "I have seen the moon on August 9, 2002 in Washington DC area at 8:20pm by naked eye. It was quite clear."

Friday 09 August:-

1. Kuwait

Saturday 10 August:-

1. Malaysia
2. Singapore
3. Maldives
4. Iran
5. Bahrain
6. Saudi
7. Jordan
8. Syria
9. Morocco
10. South Africa
11. USA
12. Guyana