Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics has announced the astronomically calculated start date of the holy month of Ramadan in 2026, indicating that the first day of fasting is expected to fall on Thursday, 19 February 2026, according to precise lunar calculations.
The institute stated that the new crescent moon of Ramadan will be born immediately after the moment of conjunction, which will occur at 2:02 pm Cairo local time on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, corresponding to the 29th of Shaaban 1447 AH. This date is designated as the official moon-sighting day.
Astronomical calculations show that the crescent moon will not yet have been born at sunset on the day of sighting in several parts of Southeast Asia, including Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Jakarta in Indonesia, making moon sighting impossible there on that evening.
In the Arab region, the moon is expected to set shortly after sunset on the day of sighting. In Mecca, the moon will remain visible for approximately three minutes after sunset, while in Cairo it will set about four minutes later. Across Egypt’s governorates, the moon’s visibility after sunset will range between three and four minutes. In other Arab and Islamic capitals, the duration varies between one and twelve minutes.
However, in a number of cities including Manama in Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Muscat in Oman, and Tehran the moon is expected to set at the same time as sunset, significantly reducing the chances of visual observation.
In contrast, the moon will set before sunset in some Asian cities. In Karachi, Pakistan, it will set one minute before sunset, while in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta it will disappear approximately four minutes earlier, confirming the impossibility of moon sighting in those locations.
Based on these calculations, Wednesday, 18 February 2026, is expected to complete the month of Shaaban, making Thursday, 19 February 2026, the first day of Ramadan 1447 AH according to astronomical projections.
As is customary, the institute emphasized that while astronomical calculations provide high accuracy, the official start of Ramadan will ultimately be determined by religious authorities in each country based on confirmed moon sighting. Nonetheless, the data offers early clarity for planning purposes across the Islamic world.
