The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the new moon of Ramadan 1447 AH will be born on February 17 at 5:01 pm PST, with a reasonable possibility of sighting on the evening of February 18.
In an advisory sent to the Research and Reference Wing of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the department stated that the moon will reach conjunction at 5:01 pm on February 17. Astronomical calculations suggest a fair chance of sighting on February 18, which corresponds to 29th Shaban 1447 AH.
According to the department’s Climate Data Processing Centre, historical climate data indicates that most parts of the country are likely to experience partly cloudy to clear weather on the evening of February 18, conditions that could support moon sighting efforts.
The department also released region wise moonset timings for February 18. The moon is expected to remain visible until 7:24 pm in Sindh, 7:08 pm in Punjab, 7:47 pm in Balochistan, 7:13 pm in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6:58 pm in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 6:53 pm in Gilgit Baltistan.
It added that areas not included in the moon coordinate schedule may also observe the moon until moonset according to their respective locations.
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