The crescent moon

Two mornings before the new moon. In practical terms, from my neighbourhood’s perspective, this is the last chance to spot the crescent moon before the morning light overwhelms it. At this stage, the 8.5 percent illuminated crescent is still at a decent height, but by tomorrow, it’ll be too low in the dawn sky to be noticed. So today, with fine morning weather, I woke up early, crept out of the house, and was rewarded with the sight of a thin crescent just above my rooftop.

By the way, the new moon falls on Saturday, and this one holds particular significance for Muslims. It’s an old ritual—specially appointed observers will be scanning the sunset sky with their telescopes and equipment, hoping to spot it. If successful, Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be on Sunday. If not, then Monday it will be. That said, traditional moon sightings have largely been supplanted by modern astronomical calculations. According to the public calendars, the Government has already determined that Hari Raya will fall on Monday.

I hear, too, that on Saturday, people in North America will witness a partial solar eclipse. Nothing for us to see in South-east Asia, though.