Dubai's amateur gazers disappointed at missing new moon for Ramadan

DUBAI // Hot, hazy weather on Tuesday night prevented stargazers from seeing the new moon with the naked eye.
Although the moon-sighting committee in Abu Dhabi had announced that Ramadan would begin on Wednesday, amateur astronomers were disappointed at not being able to see the moon for themselves.
"This is a common issue when Ramadan is during the summer months," said Hasan Al Hariri, head of the Dubai Astronomy Group.
"The problem this time of year is that it tends to be dusty and that, coupled with the heat, humidity and haze, obscures the moon from view."
Looking out over the sand dunes from just outside Mushrif Park as the sun sank below the horizon, Mr Al Hariri used his smartphone to double check the moon's location.
"It's so much easier now with modern technology to get the correct facts about these kinds of things," he said.
"A simple app on the phone provides you with the direction you should be able to view the moon.
"Unfortunately, the weather conditions have prevented us from seeing it ourselves but we know it's there."
The calculations have been tested and checked for hundreds of years and can predict the moon's location accurately, he said.
As the sky took on an orange glow before the sun disappeared shortly after 7pm, Mr Al Hariri readied his binoculars.
"It should be on the left side of the sky but luck isn't with us today," he said. "Although people might expect astronomers to use a telescope, it isn't always the best tool for the job.
"Binoculars give you a much wider field of view, whereas with a telescope you are looking at a tiny fraction of the sky."
The new moon is usually faint and visible for only about 20 minutes, which can also work against astronomers.
"We informed the moon-sighting committee that these are our calculations and based on that information it was decided Ramadan would begin on Wednesday," said Mr Al Hariri.
"These calculations are accurate so people should not be concerned that Ramadan is not starting when it should."
According to tradition, Ramadan begins the morning after the new moon is seen.
On Monday evening the moon-sighting committee announced Tuesday would be the 30th day of the month of Shaaban.
"The moon-sighting committee gets calls from the public saying they have seen the moon but often, when we ask for more details, it usually turns out they have mistaken it with something else," Mr Al Hariri said.
"Sometimes Venus is very bright in the night sky and people confuse this with the moon."
He encouraged people to join the Dubai Astronomy Group during their regular night viewings.
"People have lost touch with nature and don't even know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west," Mr Al Hariri said.
"The more people we have to take part in viewings for things like the moon, the less chance there are mistakes."
For more details about Dubai Astronomy Group visit www.dubaiastronomy.com
nhanif@thenational.ae