Crescent Moon Not Sighted at 45 Locations, PBNU Sets Start of Ramadan 1447 H on 19 February 2026

Jakarta, VIVA – The Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) has determined that the start of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah falls on Thursday, 19 February 2026. The determination was made after crescent moon observation (rukyatul hilal) conducted on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, across various regions of Indonesia confirmed that the hilal was not sighted.

PBNU General Chairman KH Yahya Cholil Staquf, known as Gus Yahya, delivered the announcement directly from the PBNU headquarters in Jakarta.

“The Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama conveys the announcement that the beginning of the month of Ramadan, or 1 Ramadan 1447 H, falls on Thursday Pahing, 19 February 2026,” said Gus Yahya on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, as quoted by NU Online.

The determination was based on reports from the PBNU Hilal Observation Team, coordinated by the PBNU Falakiyah Institute, which conducted monitoring at 45 points across Indonesia. All reports confirmed that the hilal was not sighted at sunset on 29 Sha’ban 1447 H.

As the hilal was not visible, the month of Sha’ban was rounded up to 30 days (istikmal). Consequently, 1 Ramadan falls two days after the observation, namely Thursday, 19 February 2026.

“On behalf of PBNU, I extend greetings in welcoming Ramadan and wish everyone success in reaping the greatest possible blessings from Ramadan,” said Gus Yahya.

“May we be granted the strength and steadfastness to carry out our worship in the best possible manner. May we all be blessed to reach Eid al-Fitr as new people, as people reborn,” he continued.

Astronomical Data: Hilal Still Below the Horizon

From an astronomical perspective, the position of the hilal on 17 February 2026 did not meet visibility criteria. At the highest point, Sabang, the hilal’s altitude was recorded at minus 1 degree 41 minutes. Meanwhile, in Jayapura it reached minus 3 degrees 12 minutes. In Jakarta itself, the hilal’s altitude was approximately minus 1 degree 44 minutes.

This means the moon was still below the horizon at sunset, making sighting impossible. The ijtimak, or conjunction, occurred on Tuesday evening at 19:02 Western Indonesian Time (WIB), after sunset had already taken place across all of Indonesia.

These calculations used the contemporary falak hisab tahqiqi tadqiki ashri method, which serves as Nahdlatul Ulama’s reference, and are consistent with official government astronomical data.

Conjunction Occurred After Sunset

Data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) showed similar findings. The conjunction occurred on 17 February 2026 at 19:01 WIB, whilst sunset across Indonesia had already taken place earlier, ranging from 17:56 Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT) in Jayapura to 18:51 WIB in Banda Aceh.