Safar moon sighting likely today: SUPARCO

WEB DESK: The crescent moon for Safar 1448 Hijri is likely to be sighted across Pakistan today, Wednesday, July 15, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).

The space agency confirmed that the new moon was officially born at 2:44 PM yesterday, Tuesday, July 14, setting the stage for a strong probability of sighting this evening. The official announcement regarding the start of the holy month will be made by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee who will hold the session today in Islamabad.

At sunset today, the moon will be approximately 29 hours old, creating highly favorable conditions for observation. SUPARCO noted that in coastal areas, a lag of about 65 minutes is expected between sunset and moonset, which provides an ideal window for the crescent to be spotted.

Based on these astronomical calculations, the first of Safar is expected to fall on Thursday, July 16.