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ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (APP):The International Conference on Applications of Space Science and Technology (ICAST-2025) continued on Wednesday with a thought-provoking masterclass organized by the Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology (ISNET), focusing on the scientific, spiritual, and technological dimensions of moon sighting.
The session was carried out by famend astronomer Mohammad Shawkat Odeh of the International Astronomical Center (UAE), drawing vital curiosity from delegates, researchers, and college students attending the conference on the Institute of Space Technology (IST).
Odeh delivered a complete overview of the basics of crescent statement, explaining the moon’s phases and important astronomical ideas corresponding to elongation, moon age, and lag time. He outlined the rules that decide crescent visibility, enabling members to grasp the situations below which the brand new moon might be sighted with the bare eye or via devices.
The masterclass supplied a historic perspective on world crescent visibility fashions, tracing the evolution of standards used throughout centuries from historical Babylonian strategies to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) mannequin, the extensively referenced Yallop standards, and the trendy Odeh visibility framework. Odeh in contrast these fashions, highlighting their various ranges of reliability, accuracy, and sensible software.
Participants had been additionally briefed on how totally different Islamic nations decide the beginning of Hijri months.
The presentation reviewed strategies utilized in Turkey, Oman, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and the UAE, noting how some nations rely on astronomical conjunction, others on sundown parameters, and many on precise visibility studies. Case research illustrated how these approaches form official moon-sighting selections and generally result in regional variations in marking Islamic months.
The session additional explored world crescent statement archives, drawing from datasets spanning 1859 to 2024. Attendees examined historic information of early and troublesome sightings, gaining deeper perception into how observational information helps or challenges theoretical fashions.
A energetic dialogue and Question and Answer session concluded the masterclass, giving members the chance to have interaction in scientific debate, search readability on advanced astronomical ideas, and discover the intersection of religion, statement, and trendy expertise.
The masterclass underscored ISNET’s dedication to strengthening scientific understanding inside the Muslim world by bridging conventional practices with up to date astronomical analysis.
It additionally added to the depth of actions at ICAST-2025, which continues to showcase cutting-edge dialogue on area science and its functions.