International Astronomical Center

So far, the earliest sighting of the crescent was on Friday 02 December 2005 from Australia.

Thursday 01 December 2005:

Friday 02 December 2005:

• Australia:
  1. ICOP member, Mr. Salah Sukkarieh said: "Due to severe thunderstorms and heavy cloud, the new Moon could not be seen in Sydney, Australia on Friday 2nd December. I will try again tomorrow."

  2. ICOP member Mr. Afroz Ali said: "The crescent was sighted in Australia on Friday 2nd December. Hence the 1st day of Dhul Qaida commenced on 3rd December."

• Indonesia: ICOP member, Mr. Mutoha MMC said: "From our location, Parangtritis Beach Yogyakarta, the sky most cloudy and rainy. The sunset not seen, also the hilal not seen. Three officials trying to sight the hilal Mr.Mutoha (39), Brother Agus (24) and Brother Bondan (22), they are member of Jogja Astro Club (JAC). Although of this month we fail to sight the hilal, Insya Allah next month we try again."

• Pakistan: ICOP member, Mr. Saif Qureshi said: "The western sky in Islamabad was clear after the sunset on 02 December 2005 but crescent was not seen by naked eyes. Attempt to observe through binocular or telescope was not made."

• Iran:

  1. ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Zahed Aram mentioned that he was not able to see the crescent by binoculars despite the clear sky.

  2. ICOP member Mr. Alireza Mehrani said:

     "Date: December 2, 2005
     Reporter: Alireza Mehrani
     Photographer: Alireza Mehrani
     Location: 200 km west of Esfahan, Iran
     Lat: 33° 15.23' N
     Lon: 50° 09.96' E
     Ele: 2610 m
     TZ: = +3.5
     Sunset (at sea level): 17:01:44
     Sunset (observed): 16:58
      
     Crescent first observation through 15x80 binoculars by Alireza Mehrani:
     Time: 17:05:40 LT
     Moon Alt: 2.982°
     Elongation: 12.819°
      
     Crescent final observation through 25x100 & 15x70 binoculars by Ali Ebrahimi 
     and Abbas Ahmadiyan:
     Time: 17:23:25
     Moon Alt: 0.104°
     Elongation: 12.934°
      
     Observers: Alireza Mehrani (15x80 bin), Ali Ebrahimi (25x100 bin), Abbas 
     Ahmadiyan (15x70 bin), Saeed Janghorban (15x70 bin), Mahdi Mansuri (20x60 bin), 
     Mohammad Soltanolkottabi (15x70 bin)."
     

     

  3. ICOP Member Mr. Hoosein Janghorbani said:
     From: The Astronomy and Geophysics Centre Of Shahreza
     (This Centre is located in Iran , Isfahan , Shahreza )
     Reporter : Hossein Janghorbani
     

     The report of Thul Kea'dah new moon crescent observation :
     We could see this attractive and crusial new moon crescent on Dec . 2 .2005 , On Friday night at 17:10 LT in local damzad mountains with these location parameters :
     Lat : 32° 0' N
     Lon : 51° 52' E
     Ele : 2325 m
     Tz : = +3.5
     Sunset (at sea level) : 16:51
     Sunset (observed) : 16:58
     Crescent first observation through
     15x70 binoculars by Hossein Janghorbani :
     Time : 17:10 LT
     Moon Alt : 2.151
     Elongation : 12.817
     

     It was done with binoculars 15x70 and was continued for a little minutes.
     At the moment of observation q= -0.321
     And same other groups in Isfahan saw this crescent too.
     

• Iraq: ICOP member Mr. Bacil Moudhaffar said: "Crescent was not seen this evening (friday, 2/12/2005) even with binocular."

• Kuwait: ICOP member Mr. Hussain Khushaish said: "On Friday 2-dec-2005 I & a group of 3 persons could not see the crescent even with 20*60 binocular. The sky was clear exept from a layer of haze the last 2-3 degrees above western horizon. Venus was seen clearly before sunset."

• UAE: ICOP member Mohammad Odeh said: "Tried to observe the crescent from Hafit mountain (1000 m above mean sea-level) due to problems in the telescope the crescent was not seen! This observation can't be considered as a negative observation due to the problem in the telescope!"

• Saudi:
  1. ICOP member Mr. Hani Dalee said: "I had an obscuring horizon that didin't allow me to see the crescent for long time. It went behind horizon when it was 3 degrees above the real Horizon as appeared in THE SKY 5. The crescent was very thin and barely seen by binoculars. But I think I glimpsed it by naked eyes after binoculars but not sure about it. It wasn't possible to be seen by naked eyes as I think and saw."

  2. ICOP member Mr. Saleh Al-Saab said: "I could not see the crescent, but it has been seen in more than one site by binoculars."

• Algeria: ICOP member Mr. Bankih Kacem said:"The western horizon was superb from Merkich station. Venus was seen easily at 17:12. Four (04) observers saw Dul Kida 1426 crescent with three (03) binoculars, one (01) member difficultly by naked eye."

• Morocco: ICOP member Mr. Othman Fadli mentioned that it was partly cloudy and he said: "The official day of Dulkiada 1426 in Morocco is Saturday, 03 December 2005."

• Zanzibar: ICOP member Mr. Hamza Rijal said: "Alhamdulillah Dhulqaad Hillas was Sighted in Zanzibar on 2nd December 2005 around 16:45 local Time (13:45 GMT), then the official day of Dhulqaad will be Saturday 3rd December, 2005. I have been with my family and a friend of mine who later joined us and he became very much fascinated with the exercise and he promised to join us in future. I have sent the information on the sighting of Hilal to Wakfy Office as well as Mufti Office but I could not be able to get intouch with Mufti office, however Wakfy Office confirmed that they observed the Hilal too on fridaythe 2nd."

• Nigeria: ICOP member Mr. Bashir Sani said: "The crescent will have been 26 hours old but it wasnt seen here at the Main Campus of Ahmadu Bello University, at Samaru, Zaria. It is possible other locations in Nigeria may see the crescent."

• South Africa: ICOP member Dr. Abdurrazak Ebrahim said:

  "The Dhul Qada  [1426 AH] Hilaal was clearly visible by naked-eye from Sea Point, Cape Town, 
  this Friday evening of the 2nd December 2005. In Southern Africa the official first day of Dhul 
  Qada will therefore correspond with Saturday, 3rd December 2005. I first observed the very thin 
  crescent [cusps at 4 to 8 o’clock] through 10 x 50 binoculars at 10 minutes after observed local 
  sunset. The crescent became visible to the naked-eye at 20h03 – 18 minutes after local sunset.
  Venus had appeared at sunset.
  
  Naked-eye observation – Dhul Qada Hilaal 1426 AH
  Date : Friday, 02/12/2005
  Observed local sunset : 19h45
  Sighting locality – Sea Point – 0 meters above sea level
  [band of cloud on the horizon to an altitude of 1°]
  First sighted by naked-eye at 20h03
  [topocentric q]
  Moon altitude :   +09°:43':02"
  Elongation : +14°:35':46"
  Azimuth: +03°:29':17"
  Width : +00°:00':31"
  Illumination : 01.62 %
  Magnitude: -05.44
  Distance: 370486.85 km
  Moon-age : 25 hr 45 min"
  

• Germany: ICOP member Mr. Gerhard Ahmad Kaufmann mentioned it was cloudy.

• UK: ICOP member Mr. Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti said: "Negative sighting. At the end of the 29th day of of the preceeding lunar month (Friday, 2nd December) at the usual moonsighting site, I could not sight the new crescent. The horizon was overcast [ghaym] and it was raining. By the time of Isha', we receive news from Morocco that the new moon was sighted and that the authorities there have declared the new month [thubut al-hilal]. This news is sufficient for us to establish the Dhu l-Qa'dah month in the UK so that the next day, Saturday the 3rd of December, should be the first; instead of the 30th of Shawwal, by default, following the principal rule [dabit] in Fiqh for this case: whenever the crescent is sighted during the night in question anywhere in the East, its sighting follows without doubt in the West, but not the other way round."

• USA:

  1. ICOP member Mr. Javad Torabinejad said: "This evening (Friday Dec. 2), we sighted the moon in Blacksburg, VA. Immediately after sighting the moon through a pair of 7X50 binoculars, I was able to sight it by naked eye at 5:17 p.m. EST. The horns were on 2:00 and 5:30 o'clock. The sunset was at 5:04."

  2. ICOP member Dr. John Caldwell mentioned that he saw it by binoculars and by naked eye and he said: "I looked rather late, so it could have easily been seen earlier."

  3. ICOP member, Mr. Gulamabbas Khakoo said: "Unable to sight the crescent for the month of Dhul al Qadh from Long Beach, California on Thursday, Dec. 1st and on Friday Dec 2nd 2005. Both days have been very cloudy and impossible to sight due to weather conditions being unfavorable with slight rain."

  4. ICOP member Dr. Muhammad Hafiz said: "I tried to observe the Hilaal on the 1st and 2nd, December, 2005 after sunset in Rose Hall Town, Guyana. Due to the fact that the rainy season started a few days ago Hilaal observation was made impossible."

  5. ICOP member Mr. Bilal Gharaibeh said: "At sunset the clouds thin and had good visibility but after sunset clouds accumulated and it was hard to observe the crescent, Saturday was rainy and didn't try to observe the moon."

Friday 02 December 2005 :

1. Nigeria

Saturday 03 December 2005 :

1. Australia
2. Indonesia
3. Saudi
4. UAE
5. Kuwait
6. Jordan
7. Algeria
8. Morocco
9. South Africa
10. UK
11. USA

Thursday 01 December 2005:

• Iraq: ICOP member Mr. Bacil Moudhaffar said: "On Wednesday 30/11/2005 at 5:45 am to 6:25 am the crescent was seen by naked eye, horn edges from 4 to 10 o'clock. On Thursday 1/12/2005 the crescent was not seen even with binocular."