First day of Ramadan expected to be on this day

Muscat: The first day of Ramadan in the Sultanate of Oman is expected to fall on Saturday, 1st March 2025.

The Islamic world will observe the crescent moon of Ramadan 1446 AH on Friday, 28th February 2025. On that day, the crescent will be visible using a telescope in Western Asia, most of Africa, and Southern Europe, while it may be seen with the naked eye across large parts of the Americas.

Given that the conjunction occurs before sunset and the moon sets after sunset across the Islamic world, it is customary for most countries to announce the beginning of Ramadan the following day. As a result, it is expected that the majority of the Islamic world will mark the start of the holy month on Saturday, 1st March.

Regarding the position of the crescent on 28th February, surface calculations at sunset indicate the following visibility conditions in various cities:

Jakarta: The moon will set 20 minutes after sunset, at 12 hours and 9 minutes, with a distance of 5.1 degrees from the sun. The crescent will not be visible, even with a telescope.

Abu Dhabi: The moon will set 31 minutes after sunset, at 14 hours and 37 minutes, with a distance of 6.9 degrees from the sun. It will be visible only through a telescope.

Mecca: The moon will set 33 minutes after sunset, at 15 hours and 27 minutes, with a distance of 7.4 degrees from the sun. It will be visible using a telescope.

Amman and Jerusalem: The moon will set 36 minutes after sunset, at 15 hours and 26 minutes, with a distance of 7.6 degrees from the sun. It will be visible with a telescope.

Cairo: The moon will set 36 minutes after sunset, at 15 hours and 39 minutes, with a distance of 7.8 degrees from the sun. It will be visible using a telescope.

Rabat: The moon will set 45 minutes after sunset, at 17 hours and 27 minutes, with a distance of 9.1 degrees from the sun. Observing the crescent with the naked eye will be difficult and will require exceptionally clear atmospheric conditions.

For reference, the shortest duration in which a crescent has been observed with the naked eye is 29 minutes, while the youngest crescent seen without aid was 15 hours and 33 minutes old. However, visibility depends not only on these factors but also on the crescent’s angular distance from the sun and its height above the horizon at the time of observation.