International Astronomical Center

The geocentric new Moon will occur Inshalla on Monday (19 April 2004), at 13:21 UT. On this day its not possible to see the crescent from anywhere on Earth.

So far, the earliest sighting of the crescent was on Tuesday 20 April 2004 from Iran by ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Zahed.

Monday 19 April 2004:

• USA:
  • ICOP member Mr. Jim Stamm: Not seen. "I was NOT able to see the crescent, even through a telescope. There was some discernable haze near the horizon, but the rest of the sky was clear. I could see 4th magnitude stars in my C-8 near the zenith before sunset."

• Australia:
  • ICOP member Mr. Rami EL Sahmarani: Not seen. The cresent was not seen neither by naked eyes nor by binocular, there was clouds and haze in the western horizon.

• Brunei:
  • ICOP member Mr. Hazarry Haj Ali Ahmad: Not seen. (Haze) "Venus was clearly visible."

• Pakistan:
  • ICOP member Mr. Saif Qureshi: Not seen. "It was cloudy at the western horizon. The crescent was not seen."

• Iran:
  • ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Zahed: Seen.
  • ICOP member Mr. Alireza Mehrani: Seen. The Crescent as seen from Esfahan. By Alireza Mehrani

  • ICOP member Dr. Rez Pazhouhesh: Not seen. "The western horizon was totally cloudy. So, we couldn't see the crescent of the moon."
  • ICOP member Mr. Mousa Zamani: Not seen. (Cloud)

• Kuwait:
  • ICOP member Mr. Hussain Khshaish: Not seen. "In Kuwait I couldn't sight the crescent. The western horizon was partly cloudy, hazy and dusty."

• Saudi Arabia:
  • ICOP member Mr. Anwar Al-Muhammad: Not seen. "The sky was totaly cloudy in Tusday 20 April, 2004, in the eastern area of Saudia Arabia. Also, the Sun can not be seen at that day."
  • ICOP member Mr. Saleh Al-Saab: Not seen. (Cloud)

• Algeria:
  • ICOP member Mr. Bankih Kacem: Seen. "The Rabi I 1425 crescent was easily seen from Merkich in Beni Isguen. 06 members was present."

• South Africa:
  • ICOP member Mr. Abdurrazak Ebrahim: Not seen. "ITwo persons in a group of ten experienced crescent watchers at the Cape Town Three Anchor Bay location claimed to have sighted the moon ; the one claimed to have sighted the moon before Maghrib ; and the other after Maghrib (and in two different sky positions) . This information was not immediately brought to the attention of the rest of the group but at a later stage when the moon would have been behind the horizon cloud cover. None of the others present sighted the moon. I was also present at this location and had binoculars trained on the moon coordinates, but I saw nothing. The moon was not sighted anywhere else in Southern Africa including the remaining four sighting points in Cape Town. After a lengthy discussion and arguement the representative of the Ulama associations decided to declare a positive sighting. He thus declared the first day of Rabi-ul Aw'al to be Wednesday, 21 April 2004."

• Nigeria:
  • ICOP member Mr. Muhammed Yasin Qamerdin: Not seen. "we try to sight the crescent for rabbi Awal outskirt Abuja. Actualy this mont witness rain and invariably clear western sky for somedays. because of this clear sky I was able to sighted venus before sunset for the past three days. but today we are denied this oppoturniy due to heavy cloud which upto 15 degree in the western horizon. and scater haze along this part of sky."

• Greece:
  • ICOP member Mr. Mohammad Odeh: Not seen. " No attempt for crescent observation was done since it was cloudy and rainy from time to then."

• Germany:
  • ICOP member Mr. Gerhard Ahmad Kaufmann: Not seen. (Cloud)

• USA:
  • ICOP member Dr. Javad Torabinejad: Seen.
  • ICOP member Ms. Mary Singer: Not seen. "The western horizon was totally cloudy. Crescent was not seen from Spokane, Washington."
  • ICOP member Mr. Gulamabbas Khakoo: Seen. "Sighted the crescent for the month of Rabi-al-Awwal on 20th April, Tuesday evening here in Pico rivera (LA) USA; local time 7:37pm. It was very easy to see."

Monday 19 April 2004 :-

Tuesday 20 April 2004 : -

1. Kuwait
2. Saudi Arabia

Wednesday 21 April 2004 : -

1. Australia
2. Brunei
3. Iran
4. Jordan
5. South Africa