Ministry of Religious Affairs Team: Differences in Crescent Moon Altitude Could Trigger Variations in Eid al-Fitr Celebrations Worldwide

JAKARTA - A member of the Crescent Sighting Team of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), Cecep Nurwendaya, stated that differences in the altitude of the new moon could lead to variations in the determination of 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijriah.

“These differences in altitude (of the new moon) could result in differing determinations of the start of Shawwal in various parts of the world,” Cecep said during the isbat session held at the HM Rasjidi Auditorium, Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs RI, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (19/3/2026).

Astronomically, conjunction or ijtimak occurs on Thursday, 19 March 2026 at 01:23:23 Universal Time (UT). This position serves as the reference for calculating the possibility of sighting the new moon in various regions.

Based on the presented data, the altitude of the new moon varies across different parts of the world, ranging from minus 2.2 degrees in New Zealand to 12.2 degrees in the Americas.

In addition to altitude, another determining factor is elongation, or the angular distance between the moon and the sun. According to him, elongation affects the thickness of the visible new moon.

“The greater the elongation, the thicker the new moon will be and the higher the chance of it being sighted,” he stated.

Today coincides with 29 Ramadan 1447 Hijriah, which determines whether the month of Ramadan will be completed to 30 days or end today.

“This is a very determining day, whether by calculation and sighting it already meets the criteria for the start of the month of Shawwal or must be extended,” Cecep said.

The isbat session was attended by the Minister of Religious Affairs, representatives from the DPR, the Indonesian Ulema Council, ambassadors from friendly countries, and several Islamic community organisations.