Organic Light Photography

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.

Once Again

Another month has passed and another has begun. Each cycle taking closer to new beginnings and our eventual end. Along the way this little sliver of light enlightens our heart to make the journey just a little lighter.

The new crescent of Jamada Al-Awwal, the fifth month of the Islamic calendar of the year 1447. It was captured on October 23, 2025. Four more months until Ramadan. The countdown begins!

The new crescent moon of the Islamic month Rabi’ Al-Awwal (The First Spring). It is the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born and it is also the month in which the tradition of Moonsighting was established when the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, saw the new crescent of this month while on his migration from Mecca to Madinah.

Safar 1, 1447 (July 25, 2025)

The call to come to the Ancient House still reverberates through time. This moon marks the time to go. The Hajj begins today.

M&M for Ramadan

Last evening the new crescent moon, the Hilal, of Ramadan was seen all over North America. We received so many reports from multiple states, it was even seen in Canada, and don’t recall a report from Canada ever! It was inspiring to see so many communities keeping Moonsighting alive that I did not feel the need to report it myself.

But this kind of beauty needs to be seen and I continue to encourage everyone to go out on a monthly basis and search for this sliver of guidance.

This month Mercury joins the moon in the post sunset sky, a rare lunar conjunction.

The Stranger

This is the comet C/2023-A3 Tsuchinshan. It has come into the inner solar system from deep in the Ort Cloud at the outer limits of the sun’s gravitational field. It’s on a hyperbolic trajectory as it passes by the sun, meaning that it’s not ever going to come back, it’s just passing through, a stranger and first time visitor to our neighborhood.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a passer by”
كُن في الدُّنيا كَأنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أو عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍٍ

Shine your light, leave behind some traces of your presence, and leave in peace the way you came in.

The first photo is a close up taken on 10/12/24. The second photo on 10/14/24 is a wider angle and taken when the Earth was crossing the orbital plane of the comet and so we can see not only the comet’s tail flowing away from the sun, but also it’s Anti-Tail pointing back to the sun. The Anti-Tail only shows up when we cross the comet’s orbital plane.

Get out and see this comet with your own eyes before it’s gone.