(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Astronomical Center will organise a training program on the 'Development of Crescent Sighting Skills at the centre's headquarters next Wednesday.
The training program aims at providing the participants with the information necessary to enable them to identify the astronomical terms of the planetarium and its coordinates, and information of about crescent sighting such as the conditions of sighting and determining the location of the crescent in the sky accurately.
In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Head of Qatar Astronomical Center, Sheikh Salman bin Jabor Al Thani, said that the training program will introduce the general characteristics of the moon such as the size and the duration of orbiting around the Earth (lunar month) and others, in addition to the main facets of the moon and the ways of the birth of the crescent, how the crescent is formed and then the first quadrature and the full moon, and then the opposite sides like the second quadrature and then the crescent of the end of the month.
He added that the training program will also explain how the crescent appears at the beginning of the month, how to locate the crescent in the sky relative to the sun and how to observe it with the naked eye or with the telescope.
The participants will learn about the conditions of sighting the crescent, which are the age of the crescent, ie the time between the birth of the crescent and the sunset on the same day, the height of the crescent from the western horizon at the moment of sunset, the angular distance between the centre of the sun disk and the centre of the moon disk, and the location of the moon relative to the sun disk, ie whether the moon north, south or above the sun disk, Sheikh Salman noted.
He added that the program also helps the trainees not to confuse the slender crescent at the beginning of the month with some bright planets and stars located sometimes in the same place, noting that observers must use astronomical programs that take into consideration all the mentioned points.
Sheikh Salman highlighted the directives of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) to Muslims to rely on sighting the first crescent moon every month in order to determine the date of the beginning of Ramadan, which is the month of fasting, as well as the month of Shawwal, which is the month of Eid Al Fitr, and other dates of worship and Islamic occasions, such as the Hajj season, the beginning of the Hijri year and others.
Qatar Astronomical Center always seeks to hold courses and training programs on various astronomy topics. Usually these courses and programs combines theoretical and practical training, since astronomy, especially sighting the crescent moon, must include practical training, such as going to the appropriate areas to observe the crescent and locate it in the sky.
The training program aims to make everyone able to participate and testify sighting of the crescent, and to bequeath this science for the following generations so that the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) remains immortal to the Islamic nation.
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