International Astronomical Center

The geocentric conjunction (Geocentric New Moon) will occur Inshalla on (Sunday 25 June 2006) at 16:05 UT.

So far, the earliest sighting of the crescent was on Monday 26 June 2006 by Mohammad Odeh from UAE, the crescent was also seen on that day from Iran, Iraq, Senegal, Germany and USA.

Sunday 25 June 2006:

• USA: ICOP member Dr. John Caldwell said: "Banded and mottled in bottom 5 degrees ; my focus may have been slightly off too although pointing was verified as excellent using Pollux ; not a good test of how visible it would be in good conditions ; useful to fix up my methods though." Dr. Caldwell added that he didn't see the crescent by 20X80 binoculars.

Monday 26 June 2006:

• Indonesia: ICOP member, Mr. Mutoha MMC said: "Still in my sorrowful of earthquake disaster in my place Yogyakarta (Jogja) on last Saturday 27 May 2006, this day (Monday) 26 June 2006, I have tried to sight the crescent from Parangkusumo Beach of Bantul, Yogyakarta with Brother Agus Triawan the member of JAC. The western sky was clear so only little clouds. Also, I tried locate the position and path of the crescent according to the positions of sunset. Although crescent sets after 37 min of sunset, however I could not see it neither by naked eye, binocular nor my video camera. But Civil Calendar of Islam in Indonesia for first day of Jumadal Akhir determining on Tuesday, 27 June 2006 used "imkan rukyat" criterion. Rukyat Hilal Indonesia by link here : http://rukyatulhilal.tripod.com"

• Brunei Darussalam: ICOP member, Mr. Hazarry Haji Ali Ahmad said: "The new moon sighting was held at Shahbandar hill by the Astronomy Unit Personnel, Survey Department. The western horizon was totally cloudy and attempted observation till moonset but new moon was not observed."

• UAE: ICOP member Mohammad Odeh said:

  Finally after three years of  successive negative observations I was able 
  to see a young crescent! Actually this is the first young crescent I've seen 
  since I left Jordan! In Greece I made several attempts (maybe three or four) 
  and I was not able to see the crescent in any of those! Either it was partly 
  cloudy or hazy or I was not look at the correct location of the crescent, 
  especially that I was using binoculars only! After moving to UAE, I did many 
  serious attempts! Maybe more than six trails! All of which had  failed! And 
  there is a reason for each! Several of them I reached the location of observation 
  late! Where I was trying to observe the crescent from Hafit mountain which is more 
  than 1000m above mean sea-level, and it is about 160 km away from Abu-Dhabi where 
  I live, specifically in Al-Ain city! Actually I don't like to observe from Abu-Dhabi 
  near the sea and at the sea-level! Other attempts were failure because the telescope 
  I borrowed didn't work! I borrowed more than 4 different telescopes, and each has 
  its own problem! When there is no problem in the telescope it was partly cloudy! 
  So imagine my feeling after traveling about 90 minutes to see the crescent and 
  my trial was a failure one! Recently I started to become really nervous after 
  the negative observation! Thus this time I decided not to travel from my city 
  and to observe the crescent from where I live! From Abu-Dhabi! And from the 
  sea-level! Or actually from the sea shore, which is basically the worst location 
  to observe the crescent from! Also I didn't borrow any telescope! I used my 7X50 
  binoculars! Surprisingly I DID see the crescent :-)! Actually the sky was 
  extremely clear compared to the usual atmospheric conditions in Abu-Dhabi! 
  Usually I used to describe these atmospheric conditions as hazy and not 
  that favorable when I was in Jordan!! I was able to see the Sun's limb by 
  naked eyes nearly up to the sunset time, actually at the last few seconds 
  I had to use the binoculars to trace the Sun! Where it disappeared below the sea 
  at 19:14:50 (UT+4), the calculated sunset from my location (taking into account 
  the correct temperature and pressure and the exact coordinates) is 19:50:59! So close! 
  After that I waited for about 5 minutes and then started searching for the crescent, 
  until I couldn't believe when I see it at 19:38!! This is the first young crescent 
  (its age is less than 24 hours) I see after Rajab 1424 AH crescent  ( 28-08-2003)!! 
  I took some photos by my camera, but I think it needs special processing in order 
  to see the crescent, I'll publish them if I succeed in processing them. I can highly 
  claim that I saw the crescent by naked eyes, but can't confirm it. My wife was observing 
  by naked eyes and she also can't confirm whether she saw the crescent or not. Below 
  are the data of the observation:-
  
  - Day:    Monday.
  - Date:    26/06/2006.
  - Observers: Mohammad Odeh and my wife.
  - Visibility: Seen By Odeh by 7X50 Binoculars, 95% by naked eyes.
  - Sunset (Seen by Bin):    19:14:50    Beyond the Sea.
  - Sunset (Calculated):    19:14:59.    
  - Longitude    54:21:31 E.
  - Latitude    24:32:10 N.    
  - Elevation    3 m.    
  - Time Zone: UT+4.
  - Temperature (Sunset):    34 C.    
  - Pressure (Sunset):    997 mb.    
  - Humidity (Sunset):    56%.    
  - Seen at 19:38 by binoculars for about 10 minutes.
  
   Crescent data as calculated by Accurate Times at the time of first visibility are:
  
  - Julian Date at Time of Calculations: 2453913.15139
  - Sunset:  19:15 LT                              T. Moon Age:   +22H 20M
  - Moonset: 20:14 LT                           Moon Lag Time: +00H 59M
  - T. Moon Altitude: +06°:02':56"          T. Moon Azimuth: +296°:43':00"
  - T. Sun Altitude:  -05°:28':57"             T. Sun Azimuth:  +298°:46':57"
  - T. Relative Altitude: +11°:31':53"      T. Elongation:  +11°:42':51"
  - T. Relative Azimuth:  -02°:03':58"      T. Phase Angle: +168°:15':20"
  - T. Crescent Width: +00°:00':19"         T. Moon Semi-Diameter:  +00°:15':16"
  - T. Illumination:   01.05 %              G. Horizontal Parallax: +00°:55':56"
  - T. Magnitude: -05.15                    G. Distance: 392039.05 Km
  

• Iran:

  1. ICOP member Mr. Majid Marzani said: "Western sky cloudy at sunset. The crescent was NOT seen."

  2. ICOP member Mr. Alireza Mehrani said:

     - Date: Mon June 26, 2006
     - Location: Mount Jahanbin - Farsan - Chahar Mahal & Bakhtiyari (32:13.89N 50:39.90E)
     - Time Zone: +3.5
     - Observer & photographer: Alireza Mehrani
     - Sunset: at 19:15 (LT)
     - First crescent observatin through 15x80 binoculars: at 19:22 (LT)
     - First crescent observatin by naked eyes: at 19:45 (LT)
     - Final crescent observatin through 15x80 binoculars: at 20:09 (LT)
     

  
  Monday 26 June 2006 from Iran

• Kuwait:
  1. ICOP member Mohammad Zahed Aram said: "I was in Salimya at a mosque for obsrevation the horizon was very huzzy." Mr. Aram added that the crescent was not seen by naked eyes.

  2. ICOP member Mr. Hussain Khushaish said: "In Kuwait on Monday 26 Jun 2006 I could not sight the crescent even with 20*60 binocular due to haze and fine dust. Saturn & Mars were seen with difficulty by naked eyes."

• Iraq: ICOP member Mr. Bacil Moudhaffar said: "Crescent was seen from Baghdad on Monday 26/6/2006 by binocular first then by naked eye with some difficulty."

• Tanzania:
  1. ICOP member Mr. Zaffar Sheriff mentioned that he didn't see the crescent by naked eyes, and it was partly cloudy and hazy.

  2. ICOP member Mr. Hamza Rijaal said: "The Hilal of JII has not been sighted on Monday 26 of June anywhere in tiny island of Zanzibar even in the neighbouring countries. I was in my acustom site with my children, 5 minutes before the sunset and 15 minutes after sunset, it was too much cloud. Mufti offie has declared that the first day of the new month will correspond on wednesday 28 June, 2006."

• Nigeria:

  1. ICOP member Mr. Usman Duhhu said: "It was cloudy here in Bauchi, thus we did not attempt sighting the crescent."

  2. ICOP member Mr. Muhammed Ya'sin Qamardeen said: "From across the available report, no one claim to sighted the hilal of Jumadal thanni tonight from our observer report, from Damaturu in Yobe state it was raining, at Ife it was clear sky but not visible, Ilorin report is negative. And at Abuja, despite substantial clear western sky towards the SW the Hilal is not visible. The cloud at NW covered aboput 9 degree from the base and extend to 4 degree towards SW horizon."

• South Africa: ICOP member Dr. Abdurrazak Ebrahim said: "The Hilaal was not sighted in South Africa this Monday evening, 26 June 2006 [end of 29 Jamadal Ula 1427 AH]. The western sky was completely covered by dark cloud from 10 minutes before local sunset [17:46]. The first day of the new month will correspond to Wednesday, 28 June 2006."

• Senegal: ICOP member Dr. Abdoulaye Gaye said: "The crescent was also seen in Senegal, yesterday monday, June 26."

• Germany: ICOP member Mr. Gerhard Ahmad Kaufmann said: "Although larger and smaller cumulus clouds were drawing up from the Southwest and a low, solid bank of clouds covered the sunset, the crescent could be observed by means of binoculars between the clouds for more than half an hour. An observation by naked eyes would have been probable for sure under better conditions, but unfortunately it was not possible due to some haze and poor contrast of the crescent."

• USA:
  1. ICOP Member, Mr. Qaiser Imam said: "Jumada-at-Thani 1427 moon was sighted in Austin, Texas on June 26, 2006 at 7:52 PM. Brother Anus Mahmood and I saw the moon with the naked eye."

  2. ICOP Member, Mr. Hadi Jaafar mentioned that he was able to see the crescent by naked eyes.

Monday 26 June 2006:

1. Egypt!

Tuesday 27 June 2006:

1. Indonesia
2. Brunei Darussalam
3. UAE
4. Saudi
5. Iran
6. Jordan

Wednesday 28 June 2006:

1. South Africa
2. Tanzania

The geocentric conjunction (Geocentric New Moon) will occur Inshalla on (Sunday 25 June 2006) at 16:05 UT.

Sunday 25 June 2006: