Khaberni - The Saudi "Afaq for Astronomy Sciences" organization estimates that the next Wednesday, February 18, will be the first days of the Ramadan month.
The organization stated that the central conjunction (the new moon) occurs on Tuesday, Sha'ban 29, 1447 AH, corresponding to February 17, 2026 AD, at 03:01 PM Saudi Arabia time.
It added that what distinguishes this conjunction is that it is visible to the naked eye due to its coincidence with the annular solar eclipse that will occur over parts of the southern hemisphere on that day.
It explained that the sun sets in Mecca at 06:18 PM, and the moon sets at 06:21 PM.
Thus, it proves the crescent remains visible above the western horizon for no less than three minutes.
It also clarified that the duration of visibility increases as we move westward towards Africa, for example, the crescent remains about 11 minutes above the western horizon in Agadir, Morocco.
In conclusion, based on these astronomical data, from the occurrence of the conjunction before sunset and proving the crescent remains above the horizon after sunset, it is expected that Wednesday, February 18, 2026 AD will be the first day of Ramadan astronomically.
Sultanate of Oman, Turkey, and Singapore had previously announced that the coming Thursday, February 19, will be the first day of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, Saudi weather and climate researcher Abdulaziz Al-Hussaini estimates that the first day of Ramadan will be the upcoming Wednesday, as did Saudi weather expert Khaled Al-Zaaq.
This, as sighting the crescent is a fundamental condition for the commencement of the Hijri month in many Arab and Islamic countries.
