Visibility of Luna and Lunar Crescent

Out of rhe 95 public obsesalioDs reponed jn rhis \o*, rher wre o.ly six
occ6ions (Jbe,2000, Juq200l, Juty 2004, ApnL 2006, Jury,2006 and Juty,2o0?)
vh.n th€ sighling war Epon€d one day latc ii compdison b rhc pcdictio, crn€ria
according ro which the New CEscent was lisible on rhe pevious day bd *s not
reponed. Tbere was oDty one oeasion {hor rhe earty sighrnrg is rcponcd Nov. D,
2004), hus,1herc weE only 6.3% enors in rhe decisio.s oflh€ moon sightingcomine
of Pakistd duing ld sven yas. llese resul$ e ba$d on verifi.d chims Tbe data
B8arding nnmberofcE*cnl siendnB d.ins $ar sre notrc ficd is nol available. The
only case of LARLY'sighring acepred by $c audonties was for rhe nonrb of
The main
'e6oi
tor lare sishlinss or rtr five indicated occdsions is th€ overBr
sky all o\€r lhe country in.lllbese caes.In case of$e onl)-' earty sigh ns for rh.Ian
scven yea6 alt€npts for cRscenr siehring \ere n,ad€ rhe Obscdatory ofu.ireBity oa
Karuchi using 6 CodC reliacror rclescopc.'the prediction crnerion based on r-value
dllowcd cescent visibility with oprical aid and rhat based on 4-vatue did hot .llowed
visibilily eleo silh lelcsope. We failed in sighinS of the crsccnt bul rhe omcials
acccpted clains of mlied eye sighli.ss fron aR. ctoe to Kamhi. Akhough,(he d\o
$n$il cosidercd did nol allow naked ete visibitny on rhisoccasion lhc misconc+tion
lhat if rhe ph4se ol rhc cresenr is noE rh.n l% n shoutd be lisible (Asrmnonicul
AhnrnJ..:l]O7r n ayha\c leJd he,te.i. or D.Jtcr rorcer rt,e.tdtrn;.
The low percenbgc ofee6 in rhis obscryalion.l elfo,1 is much noE pbnisi.g d
compaGd b lhe 6ul$ of m@n wlch, progEms cohdEted in Unncd Slales in thc tar.
1960s and rcpon€d by Dogger & Schsller ( 1994) Accordi.erorhh rcporl l5%positite
€rcs (qons clains of observing $€ cresceno and 2yo negadve eriou (cescenr was
visible bur rhe obsrveF nissd then) {qc iound monssr $c cxperienced ftooi
s"lche6. Thqe exF i.nccd h@n watcheu \v.rc geneElly consideFd b know wne,e lo
lind $c crcsce.r dd whar dc oiolatioo of rhe ..homs" wa.
l9l