Organic Light Photography

The new crescent of Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448. Tab’ al-Awwal is the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born.

’al-Awwal

The Islamic new year started on the evening of June 15th 2026, the year 1448 with the sighting of the crescent of Muharram.

This month the moon was accompanied by the star called Mebsuta (seen on the left edge of the frame) which is the waist star of the twin headed by Castor in Gemini. It is an Arabic word that has, as one of its meanings, the meaning of Happy. How serendipitous that the new year came in with Happy?

Happy New Year!

No matter how well we can calculate the position, illumination, and orientation of the moon its essence and appearance is still as mysterious as ever.

With this new crescent the month of Dhul Qi’da has started and The Hajj is just one month away.

’da

Eid Mubarak! The month of Shawwal has begun and Ramadan has left us for now. To my Muslim friends, may Allah accept your fasting, prayers, recitations, and good works of this last blessed month. Celebration is in order. Eid Al-Fitr Mubarak. To the rest of my friends, peace to you all and blessings.

The new crescent moon of Sha’baan 1447, the 8th month of the Islamic Calendar, and a harbinger of Ramadan, just 1 month away. This crescent was seen at 5:50 PM PST in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Ca on January 19, 2026.

Mark your calendars 29 days from today (that would be February 17th) for the next day to sight the crescent for Ramadan and avoid the typical confusion.