Dates for the start and end of Ramadan in 2012 are available below:
| Date (2012) | Times of first sighting and setting of the crescent Moon* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | Manchester | Leeds | Glasgow | |
| 20 July | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible |
| 21 July | Crescent moon easily visible around 21:19; sets 21:38 | Crescent moon easily visible around 21:34; sets 21:49 | Crescent moon easily visible around 21:33; sets 21:47 | Crescent moon easily visible around 21:51; sets 22:00 |
| 18 Aug | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible | Crescent moon not visible |
| 19 Aug | Crescent moon visible under perfect conditions around 20:20 sets 20:28 |
Crescent moon visible under perfect conditions around 20:31; sets 20:36 | May need optical aid to view crescent moon, 20:29; sets 20:33 | May need optical aid to view crescent moon, 20:43; sets 20:43 |
*Times are BST not GMT, and may not correspond exactly with the official (religious) sighting of the crescent moon.
The dates of Ramadan and other Islamic months depend on the sighting of the new crescent Moon.
Information on the visibility of the Moon from anywhere in the world is available from HM Nautical Almanac Office’s Websurf facilty:
Thank you very much for publishing the Ramaden 2012 Crecent moon infomation.
Best Wishes
Comment by Hussain 18 July 2012 @ 12:22 pm
The information on the sighting of the moon was very useful. Many thanks.
Comment by Ali 20 July 2012 @ 6:45 pm
Great work from the Royal Observatory – just a question, when you say “clearly visible”, do you mean to the naked eye or aided telescopic instruments? I am assuming it’s the former given the wording of the text for 19 August but given it is SUCH a major issue in religious confirmation of the sighting of the moon, it’s worth doubly emphasising this maybe?
Thank you for the information – very helpful!
Comment by Omar 23 July 2012 @ 4:14 pm
Do you know if the moon was visible on 18 or 19 July?
I know your tables shows theoretical Predicted projection (given blog posted in 13 July)? However, did anyone from RMG actually log what the naked eye and telescopes were showing on the nights of 18 and 19 July. Also do you have any pictures showing the crescent on those days?
Also would you be able to explain eg if new crescent Moon is cited in Egypt, the prediction tables are stating it should not be.
Thank you in Advance
Som
Comment by Somsid 11 August 2012 @ 9:58 am