Confirmation methodology for a lunar crescent sighting report

• Published in: New Astronomy
• Main Author: Faid M.S.; Nawawi M.S.A.M.; Saadon M.H.M.; Nahwandi M.S.; Shariff N.N.M.; Hamidi Z.S.; Wahab R.A.; Norman M.P.; Ahmad N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85160551410&doi=10.1016%2fj.newast.2023.102063&partnerID=40&md5=79b36d2e02324ac0d9328a5b8cf2b2d6

The acceptance of the lunar crescent sighting for the new Hijri month determining is plagued by conflicting reports of lunar crescent sightings. An approach that serves as a confirmation for the lunar crescent sighting report is created to overcome this problem. The methodology considers astrophysical factors such as atmospheric extinction, sky and lunar brightness, light pollution, and the ability of the human eye to discern the lunar crescent. The technique's accuracy is evaluated using 1868 lunar crescent sighting data and was created using Skyfield, a high-precision astrometry Python module. In the test, it was discovered that the devised approach had a success rate of 73% in predicting lunar crescent visibility on the negative side and a success rate of 93% on the positive side. Several contradictory claims about the lunar crescent are confirmed using the process. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.