Final Moon Sighting Marks End of Hijri Year in Bahrain’s Sky

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahraini astronomer and sky-watcher Mohammad Redha Al Asfour captured a special celestial moment early Tuesday morning — the final visible appearance of the crescent moon in the Hijri year 1446.

Asfour captured the thin waning crescent of Dhul-Hijjah 1446 just before sunrise, with the moon’s illumination down to just 2.8%. This marks the last time the moon will be seen in Bahrain’s sky before the Islamic lunar calendar resets. According to Asfour, the moon will enter the new moon (conjunction) phase on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The exact conjunction — the moment the sun and moon align — will occur at 1:31 p.m. Bahrain time, signaling the birth of the new moon for the Hijri year 1447.

However, Asfour explained that the conditions for sighting the new crescent moon on Wednesday evening will be extremely challenging. The sun will set at 6:33 p.m., and the moon will follow just 22 minutes later at 6:55 p.m. with only 0.1% illumination and a low altitude of 3 degrees. Due to these factors, seeing the crescent with the naked eye is unlikely that evening.

The good news, he noted, is that the new crescent is expected to be clearly visible the following day, Thursday, June 26. That evening, the moon will stay in the sky for 1 hour and 17 minutes after sunset, and its brightness will increase to around 2%, making it easily observable without a telescope.