Solar Equinox Could Align Directly Above Indonesia During Eid al-Fitr: How Hot Will It Be?
The equinox phenomenon this year has the potential to occur precisely during Eid al-Fitr, meaning the sun will be directly overhead as Indonesians engage in worship and celebrate Idulfitri.
Equinox originates from Latin and translates to “equal night.” During an equinox, the Earth is perpendicular to the Sun. Consequently, all locations on Earth experience 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.
This phenomenon occurs twice annually in March and September. The March equinox is also known as the vernal equinox (spring) for the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal equinox (autumn) for the Southern Hemisphere. According to Time and Date, the March 2026 equinox occurs precisely on 20 March.
Eid al-Fitr this year is predicted to fall on the following day, 21 March. The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) has reported that the earliest sunset occurs at 17:48:13 WIT in Waris, Papua and the latest sunset occurs at 18:49:39 WIB in Banda Aceh, Aceh.
Based on BMKG data regarding the hilal altitude and solar elongation at sunset on 19 March 2026, these do not yet meet the criteria established by MABIMS (the Ministers of Religion of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore). MABIMS criteria stipulate that hilal observation is valid if the crescent reaches an altitude of 3 degrees with an elongation angle of 6.4 degrees.
Meanwhile, the hilal altitude in Indonesia at sunset on 19 March 2026 ranges between 0.91 degrees in Merauke, Papua to 3.31 degrees in Sabang, Aceh. The geocentric elongation in Indonesia at sunset on 19 March 2026 ranges from 4.54 degrees in Waris, Papua to 6.1 degrees in Banda Aceh, Aceh.
Based on the aforementioned data, the month of Ramadan will be completed at 30 days and Eid al-Fitr has the potential to fall on Saturday, 21 March 2026.
On the other hand, Muhammadiyah has announced that Eid al-Fitr falls on Friday, 20 March 2026.
When the equinox phenomenon occurs, the sun and Earth are at their closest distance; consequently, tropical regions around the equator will receive maximum solar radiation.
According to BMKG, this phenomenon does not always result in a drastic or extreme increase in air temperature. Generally, the average maximum temperature in Indonesian regions ranges between 32-36 degrees Celsius.
The equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon. BMKG states that the equinox is not a phenomenon such as a heat wave that can cause large and prolonged temperature increases.
Therefore, the public need not worry about the effects of the equinox, which is not dangerous. Consequently, the public need not panic or be concerned about drastic temperature increases caused by the equinox, as this has no impact on health or the environment.