Juned Patel

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟬.𝟱𝟵% 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁: On Thursday, 19 March 2026, from Poundsgate Newton Abbot, England, the waxing crescent moon (illumination 0.59%) was observed visually for a total of 28 minutes uninterrupted using an optical aid, Alhamdulillah and could not be seen with the naked eye.

In this article, I explore the crescent moon that likely marked the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah during the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in 632 CE. Through ahadith and astronomical analysis, I try to understand what that crescent may have looked like—and reflect on observing a similar moon myself centuries later. junedpatel.com/farewell-hajj-…

The Prophet ﷺ described to his companions رضي الله عنهم the difference between the false dawn and the true dawn. The first image is my own photo, taken in the UK on 6 March 2026, showing the Zodiacal Light after sunset. The same phenomenon was captured by Artemis II on 3 April 2026. Zodiacal Light can be observed as a faint glow either before sunrise (false dawn) or after sunset (false dusk). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Adhan pronounced by Bilal should not stop you from taking Suhur, for he pronounces the Adhan at night, so that the one offering the late night prayer (Tahajjud) from among you might hurry up and the sleeping from among you might wake up. It does not mean that dawn or morning has started." Then he (the Prophet) pointed with his fingers and raised them up (towards the sky) and then lowered them (towards the earth) like this (Ibn Mas`ud imitated the gesture of the Prophet). Az-Zuhri gestured with his two index fingers which he put on each other and then stretched them to the right and left. These gestures illustrate the way real dawn appears. It spreads left and right horizontally. The dawn that appears in the high sky and lowers down is not the real dawn. (Sahih al-Bukhari 621)

@HilalWatchZA Wow. How did you know? Were you watching me? 😀

@JunedYPatel 20h40 (the clock time might be a few minutes out)

Who can tell me what time I took this picture? 9.96% Illuminattion • Waxing Crescent Moon • 67:11:39 Since Conjunction • Bolton (UK) • 21 March 2026 (Saturday)

@CrescentLapse Thanks

@JunedYPatel brilliant capture

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟬.𝟱𝟵% 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁: On Thursday, 19 March 2026, from Poundsgate Newton Abbot, England, the waxing crescent moon (illumination 0.59%) was observed visually for a total of 28 minutes uninterrupted using an optical aid, Alhamdulillah and could not be seen with the naked eye.

@DrMuallim As for the video, I just shared a timelapse and much information. Please read it taking time. It may cover your question answers in some details.

@DrMuallim Yes, anyone can ask any questions. But I would prefer those who ask questions should have practical field observational experience for seeing the same moon so they can contextualise how many things can be done single-handedly .

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧: First of all, Alhamdulillah. I thank Allah for allowing me to complete what I had planned. Without His favour, this would not have been possible. These are my personal feelings. Now, let me share what happened. I was confident I would see the moon with binoculars and the telescope because I had seen a similar moon before. But this time, my focus was on how early I could spot it, and whether I could also see it with the naked eye. But I was also aware that I had to help the other four observers see it, while also taking pictures. On top of that, I already knew the lower horizon was very hazy on this day. 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭: As the sun began to set, I became quieter and more focused — like a runner waiting for the starting whistle. I was calm and confident, listing the steps in my head I would be executing but until you actually see the moon, nothing really counts. After sunset, I watched every minute carefully, trying to locate the moon. Nothing appeared. Everything was silent. The four people with me were also very quiet — when they spoke, they were almost whispering, thanks to all those locals who came back in time to just add more numbers to confirm the moonsighting. 5 minutes passed… 10 minutes passed… I kept checking my app to monitor the moon’s altitude as it was going lower. Inside, I was praying, “Ya Allah, let me see it before it goes into the dense horizon.” I had no way to work out how thick the haze was or if I would even be able to see it through if it is too thick. Then at around 18:42, about 15 minutes after sunset — I suddenly saw it. I shouted, though I don’t even remember what I said — probably something like, “Yes, I can see it! Yes, Yes” I wish I had recorded that moment. Within seconds, I stood up, jumped in excitement, and called the others to come and see. The first person managed to see it 13 minutes after me. Those 13 minutes felt very intense — I really wanted someone else to confirm it, which was slowing me down in progressing to the next step of observations. Luckily, the sky was clear so there was a longer window for someone else to see it. I Alhamdulillah, in the end, all five of us saw the moon using the telescope and binoculars. We observed it for at least 28 minutes, maybe even a couple of minutes more. I also recorded videos of the others as they described what they were seeing. 𝟐𝟖 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭: A few minutes before 18:42, I noticed something very faint — a tiny, thin white line but was not sure. I wasn’t sure it was the moon, so I just kept watching. I even stood up and walked a little, taking short breaks of 5–10 seconds, then checked again. At 18:42, it became clear: a razor-sharp, small silver crescent. It wasn’t a full arc — just a short, thin crescent. Show quickly 3 times for 2 3s each time before allowing the second person to see it. After 9 more minutes, I saw it clearly through the binoculars. As time went on, the crescent grew bigger and more distinct. I could see variations in brightness along the arc — some parts bright white, others dimmer. Later, the moon descended into the hazy lower sky. It became fainter but was still visible full arc through binoculars. There were no clouds, only dense haze. This was the thinnest moon I have ever seen, yet we observed it for a long 28 minutes. The last moment I saw it in binoculars was at a moon altitude of +0.82°. I went to adjust the camera exposure, and when I returned, it was gone. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐰: There were two things I regret. First, I wish I could have just sat and watched the moon the whole time, enjoying it through the eyepiece. Second, I wish I had attempted to see it with the naked eye at the optimal moment I consider. My passion is simply to chase and observe the thin crescent moon with my own eyes. Taking pictures is part of it, but it’s never my main goal or attracts me a lot. I wish I could have stayed behind the eyepiece, without needing to show anyone or take photos. I would have been able to study the moon’s appearance and the progression of its crescent in more detail — from its razor-sharp thin line to how it slowly grew before disappearing. The moon, like this, does not always appear under good weather conditions like this, Ya Allah give me a million opportunities to see the thinnest moon in my long, healthy life on Imaan. My brain even now remembers the sky around the moon — light orange near the moon, turning red as it went down. Birds flew past the crescent as I was looking through, and seeing all of this through the eyepiece was beyond words. But I had to share the moment with others and take pictures, which took a lot of time. The first person after me saw it 13 minutes later — imagine what a crucial window I lost. , Before the observation, I told everyone: I cannot manage everything alone. We will go step by step — telescope, binoculars, camera, and then naked eye — and they must follow what I ask them to do, as time will be short, especially since the lower sky is very dense. Looking back, the best chance for naked-eye viewing was around 18:55 ±5 minutes. By then, the sky was already getting dense. The first person after me saw it right around 18:55, but the Muslim brother couldn’t see it until 19:03 which was obviously part of the main objective. That crucial moment for naked-eye observation was gone. Meanwhile, I still had to check my DSLR to see if the moon was captured as I am not sure I have pictures of the moon yet because people wanted pictures. Not everyone had seen it through the binoculars yet, so I had to guide them — pointing and locking the moon for them. I also remember trying to take a photo with my phone through the eyepiece, but I got interrupted again helping others and then forgot. Observing the thin challenging moon may seem simple in theory to do everything but very challenging in practice. Time passes quickly, conditions change, and it’s impossible for one person to do everything alone. I had planned everything very carefully, step by step, almost mathematically. I do have now enough experience chasing the moon and what goes in the field but trust me that all plans are just on paper. In the field, what happens are unpredictable, time is short, and it’s impossible for one person to do everything alone. I even had other devices set up to record atmospheric data, but in the end, I couldn’t use any of them. It’s always easier said than done. 𝐀𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡, 𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲. 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 I will share more later — the journey, the obstacles, the fire, smoke, wind, and haze that made me so anxious and threatened to disrupt my plans. In Sha Allah, I will write about it in detail. These images were taken between 18:50 and 18:58, though I captured photos of the moon continuously from just after sunset until almost moonset using my DSLR. Note: Social media may reduce the quality of the photos, so you can download the full-resolution images if you want. drive.google.com/drive/folders/…

Zakaria Masjid Bolton (UK) • Waxing Crescent Moon • 18.03% • 22 March 2026 (Sunday)

@CrescentLapse Thanks

@DrMuallim No, I did not have time to record a video of it. But I do have many images, so I can make a video of it showing the movement. Are you asking for any reason?

@JunedYPatel Is there any video footage of this observation?

3.63% illuminated • Waxing Crescent Moon • Blackburn, UK • 20 March 2026 (Friday)

The beautiful sunset over Ireland. The atmosphere near the horizon distorted the shape of the sun, and I was lucky to see the green flash again this evening.

𝟏𝟑𝟖 𝐤𝐦 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 – 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐭: I stood at 𝟏𝟒𝟕 𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 with a perfectly clear view to the horizon. From this height, my 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧 should be about 𝟒𝟒 𝐤𝐦, beyond which I shouldn’t be able to see anything. A distant vessel passing at the 𝟒𝟒 𝐤𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 clearly marks this limit. However, 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, is 𝟏𝟑𝟖 𝐤𝐦 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 and located 𝟒𝟒 𝐤𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝. Yet, a top portion of it is still visible beyond the 44 km horizon, thanks to its 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟕𝟖𝟓 𝐦, illustrating the effect of 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡’𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

The rising full moon, illuminated at 99.85%, as seen from Bolton on 3 March 2026 Tuesday. The desired shot was prevented by lower clouds, but it was just before leaving the spot.

India Beautiful Moon sighted just 1.3% from India. Alhamdulillah. 18 February 2026, Wednesday Waxing Crescent Moon: - Observed by the team Navi Masjid - Observed from Nadiad, Gujarat, India ✅ with Binoculars: Seen by 4 ✅ with Naked Eye: Seen by 3 Total: 3 People Illumination: 1.3% Age: 25:26 The weather in Nadiad was hazy, and thin clouds made it difficult to see by many and also had a very limited time to take pictures. Well done, brothers.

Looks like even the sheep are explaining what the conjunction of the Moon is. Last month, during a moon chase, while waiting for the crescent, I spotted three sheep in perfect alignment on a hill. It instantly reminded me of what we call the “birth” of the Moon” — the moment of conjunction, when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align in a straight line (the same geometry that can produce a solar eclipse). At that instant, the illuminated side faces away from us, so the Moon cannot be seen from Earth. Then — perhaps realising I was observing them — the middle sheep moved aside… creating a small separation, like elongation. And that slight angle is exactly what allows the crescent to become visible (as in the second photo). Who knows… maybe they’re having their own moonsighting debate up there on the hill. That exact conjunction moment occurs today: UTC / UK / Morocco: Tuesday, 17-02-2026 at 12:01:08 Saudi Arabia: Tuesday, 17-02-2026 at 15:01:08

17 Feb 2026, the Saudi Supreme Court has called for crescent sighting for Ramadan 1447. The Moon will be extremely close to the Sun and likely impossible to see. The last time official dates differed from the Umm al-Qura calendar was 1 Dec 2024. Will it repeat this time? 🌙