It is expected that some countries will announce that the sighting of the crescent moon was not confirmed on Thursday.

Amman and Jerusalem: The crescent may be visible using a telescope only if atmospheric conditions are clear.

The International Astronomical Center announced the expected date of Eid al-Fitr in Jordan and other Arab countries based on astronomical calculations related to the sighting of the Shawwal crescent.

The center’s director, engineer Mohammad Shawkat Odeh, explained that some countries began the month of Ramadan on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and will attempt to sight the Eid crescent on Wednesday, March 18. Other countries began Ramadan on Thursday, February 19, including Jordan, and will attempt to sight the crescent on Thursday, March 19, which corresponds to the 29th day of Ramadan in those countries.

Countries observing the crescent on Wednesday, March 18 Astronomical calculations confirm that seeing the crescent on that day will be impossible, because the moon will set before the sun and the conjunction will occur after sunset. Therefore, these countries are expected to complete 30 days of Ramadan, making Friday, March 20 the day of Eid al-Fitr.

Countries observing the crescent on Thursday, March 19 For countries observing the crescent on Thursday, including Jordan, calculations indicate that the crescent will not be visible from the eastern part of the world, while it may be barely visible with telescopes in West Asia and parts of Central and North Africa. It may be extremely difficult to see with the naked eye in Western Europe and West Africa, while it could be seen relatively more easily in much of North America. Most of these countries are therefore expected to declare Friday, March 20 as Eid al-Fitr.

However, due to the difficulty of sighting the crescent across wide regions of the Islamic world, especially in the east and central areas, some countries may announce that the crescent sighting was not confirmed on Thursday, making Saturday, March 21 the day of Eid al-Fitr.

Engineer Odeh also noted that the visibility of the crescent does not depend only on the moon’s setting time, age, or angular distance from the sun, but rather on several interconnected factors such as its angular separation from the sun and its altitude above the horizon.