When is Eid Al-Fitr 2022? This weekend’s rare ‘Shawwal Black Moon’ will end Ramadan and cause a dangerous solar eclipse as the planets align

When does Ramadan end in 2022? Ramadan will end this year on Sunday May 1 or Monday May 2, 2022, which will see the start of Eid Al-Fitr.

Why the confusion about the dates?

The exact dates of the month-long fast in the Islamic calendar are tied to the movements of the Moon, with the first sighting of the crescent Moon this weekend the trigger for the end of Ramadan and the start of the three-day holiday. of Eid. al-Fitr (the “feast of breaking the fast”).

However, this New Moon is not only a “Shawwal Moon”, but also a “Black Moon”. Incredibly, it will also cause the first solar eclipse of 2022 when the Moon crosses the Sun, observable only in South America, and make it easier to see a rare conjunction of Venus and Jupiter and a “shooting star” display caused by the comet. Halley.

Here’s everything you need to know about a busy weekend about the importance of our natural satellite in space:

MORE FROM FORBESIt was last seen in 1986, but Halley’s Comet will make its mark this week with a ‘shooting star’ display.For jamie carter

What is a ‘Shawwal Moon’?

Muslims call this auspicious crescent Moon the “Shawwal Moon” because it occurs in the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the phases of the Moon. His sighting begins Eid Al-Fitr.

Shawwal’s Moon may arrive just hours after the astronomical New Moon. A New Moon is invisible. It occurs when the Moon is approximately between the Earth and the Sun, so it is lost in the glare of our star from our point of view. It then briefly emerges in the west just after sunset as a super-thin crescent. That is the “Shawwal Moon”.

When is the ‘Shawwal Moon?’

It will likely be Sunday, May 1, 2022, or Monday, May 2, 2022. On Sunday, May 1, 2022, the crescent Moon will only be 0.7% illuminated and will have 0.9 days, which can be too difficult for astronomers to see. just after sunset. However, the following night the Moon will be 3.4% illuminated and will have 1.8 days, so it will be slightly brighter in the post-sunset sky. It will also be higher in the sky.

What is a ‘Black Moon’?

Although there are various definitions, the term “Black Moon” is used to describe the scenario when there is more than one New Moon in the same calendar month.

That’s what’s happening in April for everyone on the planet, and it’s the only universal “Black Moon” in 2022.

A “Black Moon” can occur because the Moon takes 29.5 days to orbit the Earth, which is about the length of a month (one month). Moon). The reason most months are longer than that, and one month, February, shorter, is because 12 orbits of the Moon are only 354 days… and we know that it takes Earth 364 days to orbit around of the Sun. Our calendar is solar, not lunar, although many religious festivals operate on a lunar calendar.

When and where is the solar eclipse?

The New Moon will also cause the first solar eclipse of 2022. Approximately 90 minutes before sunset on Saturday, April 30, 2022, as seen from Chile, the New Moon will appear to cross the Sun. It will block up to 54% (though less as further north is the observer).

So it’s a partial solar eclipse, which is dangerous to watch without solar eclipse safety glasses.

As the eclipsed Sun sinks into the Pacific Ocean, it should herald some beautiful images, the opposite of this bizarre sight seen in North America during the partial solar eclipse this past June 2021.

When is the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter?

Look east before sunrise on Saturday, April 30, 2022, and you’ll see the two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, in close conjunction. In fact, they will be only 12 feet apart in the sky before sunrise.

If that’s not enough astronomy for you for a weekend, keep an eye out for “shooting stars” because the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks May 4-5, 2022.

I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.