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EP18
Abstract
The youngest lunar crescent for the first visibility is attributed to lunar crescent on February 25, 1990
observed by Pierce in Collins Gap, Tennese, USA (83º 30’ West, +35º36’ North, the next record is lunar crescent
on January 20, 1996 observed by naked eye observation from Arizona (110º 57’52,20” West, +32º25’12,72” North)
with moon age of 12 hours and 7 minutes (after conjunction). Later the youngest lunar crescent for the first visibility
is attributed to lunar crescent on September 7, 2002 observed by naked eye observation from Kerman, Iran (56,5o
East, 31,1o North with moon age of 11 hours 37 minutes. The Islamic Lunation number (ILn) of the youngest lunar
crescent on February 25, 1990 ILn 16916, it belongs to to lunar crescent in the Metonic group of Islamic Lunation
Variant Number (ILVn) 231. The Islamic Lunation number (ILn) of the youngest lunar crescent on January, 20,
1996 is ILn 16989, it belongs to lunar crescent in the Metonic group of Islamic Lunation Variant Number (ILVn) 69
The Islamic Lunation number (ILn) of the later youngest lunar crescent on September 7, 2002 is ILn 17071, it
belongs to lunar crescent in the Metonic group of Islamic Lunation Variant Number (ILVn) 151. We present the
characteristic of the three Metonic groups (ILVn 231, 69 and 151) of hilal and discuss the implication for further
observation.
2. The Data 0
-30
1. LCV on February 25, 1990 0 50 100 150 200
Data Number
According to Pierce’s observation of young Figure 1. The changes pattern of declination of the
lunar crescent in Collins Gap, Tennese, USA (83.5 Sun and the Moon of thin moon crescent belongs to
W, 35.6 N), the thin lunar crescent was observed at ILVn 231 at the time of sunset in Collins Gap.
the first time while the age of lunar crescent was 15
hours 01 minutes (after conjunction). According to 2. LCV on January 20, 1996
metonic group, this crescent belongs to Islamic Lunar
225
226 Novi Sopwan, Moedji Raharto
According to Stamm’s observation of young We search all member of ILVn 231, 069
lunar crescent in Tucson, Arizona, USA (110°57' and 151 from the year of 622 to 3000, based our
52".20 W, 32°25'12".72 N, LZT = UT-8), the thin calculation the position of the Moon and the Sun
lunar crescent was observed at the first time while the following method developed by Meeus (1983). The
age of lunar crescent was 12 hours 07 minutes (after parameters of position of the Sun and the Moon
conjunction). The Metonic group of this crescent calculated at the time of sunset in local time at the
belongs to ILVn 069 with ILn 16989. day of conjuction and one day after conjunction.
The declination of the moon and the sun of We use the most frequent lunar crescent
all member of ILVn 069 during the appearance of observing parameters based on the position of the
the moon above west horizon in the same day of Sun and the Moon. The parameters are:
conjunction or one day after conjunction are plotted 1. Moon’s age: the interval between conjuction and
and provided in figure 2. The Sun and the Moon in sunset,
the southern hemisphere. 2. DZ: the angular difference in altitude between the
30 Sun and the Moon,
moon
3. DAZ: the angular difference in azimuth between
Declination (deg.)
data sun
20 data moon
Moon dec. 2nd day
Sun dec. 1st day
the Sun and the Moon,
10 Sun dec. 2nd day
4. Elongation: the angular separation between the
0 Sun and the Moon,and
-10 5. Fraction Illumination of the Moon (f).
-20 DZ, DAZ, elongation parameters are in degrees,
-30
Moon’s age in hours, and fraction illumination in
0 50 100 150 200 percent (%).
Data Number
25
Figure 2. The changes pattern of declination of the 1st day
2nd day
north
15 SAAO DZ2
SAA0 DZ1
Ilyas
3. LCV on September 7, 2002 10
5
According to Mirsaeed’s observation of
young lunar crescent in Kerman, Iran (56.°5 E, 31°.1 0
0 5 10 15 20 25
N), the thin lunar crescent was observed at the first DAZ (deg.)
time while the age of lunar crescent was 11 hours 37 Figure 4. DZ Vs DAZ of all member of ILVn 231 at
minutes (after conjunction). Metonic group of this Collins Gap observing place.
crescent belongs to ILVn 151 with ILn 17071.
The declination of the moon and the sun of 25
all member of ILVn 151 during appearance of the 1st day
2nd day
moon above west horizon in the same day of 20 f 1%
data
conjunction or one day after conjunction are plotted
DZ (deg.)
SAAO DZ1
15 SAAO DZ2
and provided in figure 3. The sun in the northern Ilyas
0
30
moon 0 5 10 15 20 25
Declination (deg.)
-20
-30
0 50 100 150 200
Data Number
25 25
1st day
2nd day
Elongation (deg.)
youngest 20
20 f 1%
South
DZ (deg.)
SAAO DZ1
15 SAAO DZ2
15
Ilyas 1st day
2nd day
10 10 f 1%
north
youngest
5 5 ODEH DZ3
ODEH DZ2
ODEH DZ1
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
DAZ (deg.) DZ (deg.)
Figure 6. DZ Vs DAZ of all member of ILVn 151 at Figure 9. Elongation vs DZ of all member of ILVn
Kerman observing place. 151 at Kerman observing place.
20
ILVn 231, ILVn 069, and ILVn 151. In this graph,
15 we just compare the youngest data record with our
1st day
limit fraction illumination 1%.
10 2nd day
f 1%
north
youngest
5
Fraction Illumination
2.5
Figure 7. Elongation vs DZ of all member of ILVn 2.0
231 at Collins Gap observing place. 1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
25 0 10 20 30 40 50
Elongation (deg.)
f 1% 5.0
youngest 4.5 1st day
5 ODEH DZ3 2nd day
ODEH DZ2 4.0 f 1%
ODEH DZ1 3.5 youngest
0 3.0
(%)
0 5 10 15 20 25 2.5
DZ (deg.) 2.0
Figure 8. Elongation vs DZ of all member of ILVn 1.5
1.0
069 at Tucson observing place. 0.5
0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Moon Age (hours)
4.5
4.0
1st day
2nd day
Collins Gap (February) and Tucson (January), see
3.5 f 1%
youngest
figure 1, 2, and 3.
3.0
The youngest data record observer closed to
(%)
2.5
2.0 one of the maximum declination, the different of
1.5
1.0
declination between the Sun and the Moon is almost
0.5 maximum. At Kerman, youngest data record
0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50
observed at minimum declination differences because
Moon Age (hours)
the Sun located at northern hemisphere. At Collins
Gap and Tucson needs more separation differences
Figure 12. Fraction Illumination vs Moon age of all because the Sun located at Southern hemisphere
member of ILVn 151 at Kerman observing place. while the observer in the northern hemisphere.
4. Conclusions
Our calculation data are young lunar
crescent that occurred in the day of conjunction and Based on the comparison with well developed criteria
one day after it. In the day of conjunction, we (Ilyas, SAAO and Odeh) the youngest record lunar
exclude lunar crescent with negative altitude at the crescent below criterion of naked-eye observation.
time of sunset or the time of moonset before the time All the three youngest record of lunar crescent locate
of sunset, and the time of conjunction after the time in area of optical aid observation of the moon
of sunset. crescent.
In each graph, we are plot all data of lunar
crescent (1st day and 2nd day), the youngest data 5. Acknowledgement
record, f ≈ 1% as our preliminary criteria of naked-
eye observation, comparison criteria (Ilyas, SAAO, The authors would like to thanks to Alumni
and Odeh), and the data that moon in south or north Association of Institut Teknologi Bandung (IA –
ITB) for financial support this research through
hemisphere.
Institute of Research and Community Services
3. Discussion (LPPM) and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural
Sciences (FMIPA) Institut Teknologi Bandung.
All youngest data record taken almost in the
References
same geographical latitude, Collins Gap 35.6 N,
Tucson,32.4 N and Kerman 31.1 N. If we compare 1. Odeh, Mohammad SH, 2004, New Criterion for
with their age record, 15 hours 01 minutes at Collins Lunar Crescent Visibility, Experimental
Gap, 12 hours 07 minutes at Tucson, and 11 hours 37 Astronomy 18: 39-64.
minutes at Kerman, there is a linear relationship 2. Raharto, M., (2006), A Study of Metonic Cycle
between moon age and latitude observer. It is on Hilal Visibility, Proceedings of ICMNS 2006,
necessary to examine more detail about that relation. p. 1240.
The position of the Sun and the Moon in the 3. Peppin, M. Barlow, 1996, In Quest of the
sky affect to the visibility parameters pattern. We can Youngest Moon, Sky and telescope vol 92, Des
see the parameters pattern for DZ vs DAZ and as 1996, p 104 -106.
well as for elongation vs DZ at Collins Gap and 4. Caldwell, J., Laney, C., 2001, First Visibility of
Tucson, both are almost similar, contrary to the Lunar Crescent, SAAO, African Skies 5.
parameters pattern at Kerman. Its because the Sun