Oman Announces First Day Of Ramadan On This Date According To Astronomical Calculations!

The Sultanate of Oman announced that Thursday, which is February 19th, would mark the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. However, it’s worth mentioning that this is on the basis of astronomical calculations. According to the calculations, as mentioned in a report of the Gulf News, the crescent moon cannot be sighted on the preceding evening. Here’s all you need to know about this development coming from Oman, which has become the first GCC nation to announce the first day of Ramadan.

Oman Announced The First Day Of Ramadan

According to the main committee for sighting the Hijri months, February 18th will complete the month of Shaaban. This means that the month of Ramadan will start the next day. This decision follows after astronomical findings showed how the moon would set on Tuesday, the 29th of Shaaban, before or at sunset across all governorates in the Sultanate. So, this makes visual sighting impossible on the day. As it happens, the authority also mentioned that the determination was made in line with established religious and scientific criteria that is used by the committee for confirming the start of the lunar month.

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SAASST Also Made A Similar Forecast

In fact, the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, which is at the University of Sharjah, also issued a precise forecast for sighting the Ramadan crescent. Yes, as revealed in the report of Economy Middle East, it was confirmed by then that supporting the crescent moon on February 17th would not be possible. They mentioned how this could not be possible, even with the sophisticated telescope, and this would not just be in Sharjah, but also across the UAE and the Islamic world. So, Ramadan would start on February 19th.

However, having said that, Oman has become the first nation to formally declare that the first day would begin on February 19th. So, you might want to stay tuned to this place for more details regarding the holy month.

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