The crescent of the month of Safar is sighted this evening, after sunset towards the western horizon, appearing in a beautiful astronomical scene that provides an opportunity for observation and photography in various regions of the Arab world.

Engineer Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, explained that the moon reached the conjunction stage yesterday at 12:43 PM Mecca time, which is the astronomical moment when the moon and the sun are approximately on the same celestial longitude line, after which the moon moves in the sky from east of the sun to west, announcing the beginning of a new lunar month.

He pointed out that as the crescent moves away from the sun's glare after sunset compared to last night, its visibility becomes clearer; its height above the horizon increases day by day, and the illuminated part of its surface facing Earth increases as it continues its orbit around Earth. He drew attention to the fact that during the crescent observation, the 'Earthshine' phenomenon can be noticed, which is a faint illumination that appears on the unlit part of the moon as a result of sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface towards the moon, giving its disk a beautiful appearance when using binoculars or astronomical photography.

Abu Zahra stated that as the moon continues its eastward motion in its orbit around Earth, its apparent position in the sky changes daily, becoming a natural guide to help identify the locations of some stars and planets. He considered following the crescent an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the sky and discover the details of the regular motion of celestial bodies.