Korité : « La Lune sera observable à l’œil nu au Sénégal, ce vendredi » (Aspa)
The Senegalese Association for the Promotion of Astronomy (Aspa) indicated that the crescent moon marking the end of Ramadan 2026 will be observable with the naked eye in Senegal this Friday, if weather conditions are favorable.
In a press release, the ASPA specifies that the geocentric conjunction – the moment when the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth, rendering its illuminated side invisible – will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 1:23 a.m. (UTC). This phenomenon marks the end of one lunar cycle and the beginning of a new one.
According to the astronomical data provided for Dakar, the Moon will set on Thursday at 7:56 p.m., 35 minutes after the Sun, which will disappear at 7:21 p.m. At that time, the crescent moon will be about 17 hours and 58 minutes old, with an illumination of about 1%.
Although these parameters are considered borderline, Aspa does not rule out a possible observation, particularly with optical instruments.
However, conditions will be significantly more favorable on Friday, March 20th. The Moon will set at 8:53 PM, 1 hour and 32 minutes after sunset. Being over a day and a half old and with a brightness of approximately 4%, it should be easily visible to the naked eye across the entire country, wherever the sky is clear.
Aspa also reminds us that Wednesday, March 18th corresponds to the last crescent before the conjunction, the Moon setting that day before the Sun, making any observation of a new crescent impossible.
Astronomers also advise observers to scan the western horizon, slightly above and to the left of the sunset point, taking landmarks before the sun disappears.
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