Visibility of Luna and Lunar Crescent

Freque.dy. claims of lery dy sighiiog e made in sonc rcgioG of paknb!
(pardculely for ianins rhe dontbs of Rd.a ad Shawat 4s ienrioned beforc) $at
ad nor accefled by rhe au|hodd€s. Oie offic Dajor @!s of rh4 dly clains of
sighting ofncw se$cnt in Pakisran is lh. kenness otlh€ clainr dd lh€ nisco.epdon
.mongst trasses ftar when lhe 'tighting" hos been eponed in the Kingdom of Saodi
Arabia lhe cr$€nt nrusl be sighred the ncxt day in palistan, However. tbe oilcill
d<ision about slani.g n.w luiu Donth in lh. Kingdom ofsaudi Ambia is nor baed on
acrual signdng of lhe n w c6ent Thee d€cisions e based on cnrcria rhar have
chased tuee tnes ov€t $c pan two decad6 (odeh 2o0o).
Up ro 1999 the citria vas 6 fouows lf$e Moon.s age at drsunslis t2 hou6
or horc alter fi€ New M@q ihe pevious day is the fi6t d.y of lhe Islanic
nron6. fiis actually matu lhd lhc luDr donrh begiG on tu day ofconjuncrion
oa Moon vhich occurs on€ or two dats e.rlis than $e rime shen tbe n.N
crescent becom.s vhible ro lhe naked .ye,
Fmm 1999te crilerjon {6 chareed ro the tottowing: The tunar monrh besins on
lhe eEning *hctr the sun*1is b€forc tlt moon 9l according to Mrcca. This \as
no€ di$rtuus .s ir is Fssible lhar rhc sunsel befoe moonsd sil occur even
belbre rhe conjunction. Th€Efore. rhe hmar montn may begin three days betorc
rhe ccscent b€comes vhible to nlked cye.
in)
Ftum 2001oD\ardr rhe cirdion is:
a) Tl'e s€ocemic onjudion scurs b€foP Sb*t.
b) The Moon sck aner rhe Sun.
This is nore realistic bul it is scarccly possible thal the crcscenl becones visiblc
on dE day ofconjunction.
The Min p@mders signinc.nl in lh. .arti6r visibilily crnerion for lhe luoa
cEscenl aE LAC, AOE, ARCV, DAZ, ARCL, Phas ad lh€ widrh of cE$e.t. As
n.ntioned abov€ none ofrh€s pomelets alonc decide the visibiliiy or.on vhibilitv of
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