Egypt to sight crescent of holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday

CAIRO – 15 February 2026: The crescent moon of Ramadan- when Muslims worldwide fast from dawn to dust- will be born immediately after the conjunction at 2:02 PM Cairo local time on Tuesday, 29 Sha’ban 1447 AH, corresponding to February 17, 2026 (the official sighting day).

In Islam, the start of a new Islamic (Hijri) month is determined by the sighting of the crescent at the sunset of the twenty-ninth day of the preceding Hijri month, according to Amir Hussein Hassan, professor in the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, in comments to Egypt Today.

To mark the beginning of the new month, two conditions must be met: First, the crescent moon must have been born at least four hours before sunset on that day. Second, the new crescent must remain visible above the horizon for no less than five minutes. 

He further explained that in Islam, a day begins at sunset and lasts until sunset of the following day, encompassing a full night and a full day.

Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, rely mainly on naked-eye sightings of the crescent, adhering to the approach practiced during the era of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), while other countries depend on scientific astronomical calculations.

Additional reporting by Samar Samir