Qiblah direction and Start of Eid, Ramadaan (Crescent Sighting Calculations) for Adelaide, South Australia, no dusk, no dawn

Qiblah direction of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia is 283.529568 degrees from North clockwise. For example today Sun rise will be 63°ENE+180=243, so Qibla will be =283.5-243=40.5 degree from Sun Shadow at Sun rise time. http://daily.urdupoint.com/livenews/2014-07-09/news-283900.html رمضان المبارک 29 ایام پر مشتمل ہوگا اور شوال المکرم کا چاند 28 جولائی کو نظر آنے کے قوی امکانات ہیں،ماہرین فلکیات ڈیزائن: اویس خان کراچی: ماہرین فلکیات کا کہنا ہے کہ رواں برس عید الفطر 29 جولائی بروز منگل ہونے کا امکان ہے۔ ماہرین فلکیات کے مطابق رواں برس رمضان المبارک 29 ایام پر مشتمل ہوگا اور شوال المکرم کا چاند 28 جولائی کو نظر آنے کے قوی امکانات ہیں، ملک میں مون سون موسم کے پیش نظر 28 جولائی کو ملک کے نصف سے زائد حصے میں مطلع ابر آلود ہوگا اس لئے عیدالفطر کا چاند کراچی سمیت سندھ اور بلوچستان کے ساحلی علاقوں میں دیکھا جاسکے گا تاہم شہادتوں کے جائزے کے بعد شوال المکرم کے چاند کی رویت کا حتمی اعلان مرکزی رویت ہلال کمیٹی ہی کرے گی۔ واضح رہے کہ وفاقی حکومت نے بھی عید الفطر کے موقع پر 29 جولائی سے یکم اگست تک تعطیلات کا اعلان کررکھا ہے۔ ============== ======= Sharjah Planetarium announces Eid date The National Staff July 14, 2014 Updated: July 14, 2014 06:31 PM Dubai malls still awash with tourists, despite Ramadan restrictions UAE public holidays for 2014 announced by Abu Dhabi government Eid mubarak to all UAE announces Eid Al Fitr 2013 Topics: Eid Al Fitr Sharjah Planetarium has announced that it expects the first day of Eid Al Fitr, first day of Shawwal, to fall on July 28. According to Al Ittihad, The National’s Arabic-language sister paper, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, an astronomy expert and chief supervisor of the Sharjah Planetarium, said astronomical calculations show that the Shawwal crescent moon will form on Sunday, July 27, at 2.42 am, the sun will set at 7.05pm and the moon will set seven minutes after sunset. Therefore, Monday, July 28, will be the first day of Shawwal and the first day of Eid Al Fitr. newsdesk@thenational.ae Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/sharjah-planetarium-announces-eid-date?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=hmp&utm_campaign=sm#ixzz37Sjd1QCa Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook ========== Ramadan in Sweden with no dusk, no dawn During summer, the sun never sets in Sweden's northernmost town, posing challenges for Muslims observing the holy month. Cajsa Wikstrom Last updated: 07 Jul 2014 Kiruna, Sweden - During this year's holy month of Ramadan, when consumption of food and water is prohibited between dawn and dusk, how do Muslims observing the fast manage in the far north of Scandinavia, where the sun never sets? An estimated 700 Muslims are spending Ramadan in the mining town of Kiruna, located 145km north of the Arctic Circle and surrounded by snowcapped mountains throughout the summer. Many of them are recent asylum seekers, sent to Kiruna while their claims are processed. The sun stays up around the clock from May 28-July 16, which constitutes half of the fasting period this year. "I started Ramadan by having suhoor with the sun shining in my eyes at 3:30 in the morning," said Ghassan Alankar from Syria, referring to the meal just before dawn.

The above two dates are same as when Sun is exactly passes over Khana-e-Kabaa. The two moments in each year when the sun is directly overhead the Kaaba, the direction of shadows in any sunlit place will point directly away from the Qiblah. This happens on May 27 or May 28 at 9:18 GMT and on July 15 or July 16 at 9:27 GMT. Likewise there are two moments in each year when the Sun is directly over the antipodes of the Kaaba. This happens on January 12 or January 13 at 21:29 GMT and on November 28 at 21:09 GMT. Because the Earth is almost a sphere, this is almost the same as saying that the Qiblah from a place is the direction in which a bird would start flying in order to get to the Kaaba by the shortest possible way. The antipodes of the Kaaba is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in remote southern French Polynesia, some 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Tematangi atoll and 85 mi (137 km) west-northwest of Moruroa atoll.

"I put double curtains in my room and still, there's light when I'm going to sleep." Since there is no central authority in Sunni Islam that could issue a definite religious ruling, or fatwa, Muslims in the north are using at least four different timetables to break the fast. Alankar sticks to Mecca time, Saudi Arabia, "because it's the birthplace of Islam". But he is worried about whether his fast will be accepted by God. "I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing," said Alankar, who arrived in Kiruna seven months ago after a hazardous journey via Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. "Only when I'm in God's house, if I make it to heaven, I will know." No dusk, no dawn The start of Ramadan is determined by the sighting of the new moon, which moves about 11 days back in the Gregorian calendar each year. About every 33 years, Ramadan falls at the same time. A majority of those who fast in Kiruna follow the timings of the capital Stockholm, 1,240km further south, after being advised by the European Council of Fatwa and Research (ECFR), a Dublin-based private foundation composed of Islamic clerics. Zero, 15, 25 or 45 hours, it doesn't matter as long as you believe in what you're doing. - Hussein Halawa, European Council of Fatwa and Research "In Stockholm, there's day and night," Hussein Halawa, secretary-general of the council, told Al Jazeera, explaining the decision. He was personally invited to northern Sweden from Dublin this year to experience the lengthy daylight and give advice. Idris Abdulwhab, from Eritrea, follows the ECFR fatwa, which means his longest period of fasting will be 20 hours. "Zero, 15, 25 or 45 hours, it doesn't matter as long as you believe in what you're doing," he said. "But we're human beings; of course it's hard sometimes." One of those who has chosen to fast according to the local prayer times listed online is Fatima Kaniz. In a homely apartment overlooking mountains and mining facilities, she prepares a Pakistani fast-breaking dinner, or Iftar, for 8:30pm as the persistent sun penetrates the window blinds. Oil sizzles in a pan as she drops in pakoras, a vegetable snack made with chickpea flour. She recalls her first day in Kiruna five years ago, in June. "I waited for the sun to go down so I could pray maghreb," she said, referring to the sunset prayer. "I waited until 3am, until my Chinese roommate at the asylum centre found me and explained it was pointless to wait. I thought, 'What kind of strange place is this?'" The fare of the day consists of the Pakistani Ramadan staples chapati and pakoras served with raita, with the addition of Swedish fish fingers and lentil stew. During two-thirds of Ramadan, following the Kiruna prayer times means that Kaniz fasts for about 18 hours. But due to the sun's movements, she will fast for a whole 23 hours during one of those days. "I live in Kiruna, and I pray according to Kiruna time all year round. Why should I change this during Ramadan and suddenly follow Stockholm?" she asked. She followed the same system during four previous Ramadans - the last one also at the height of summer. "Sometimes I got tired and took the bus home from work instead of walking, but otherwise, I felt fine," she said. "But I looked at the clock many times." The weather in Kiruna varies widely during the summer months. Within a day, 25 degrees Celsius and sunshine can turn into 10 degrees and pouring rain. December Ramadan: Perpetual darkness When Ramadan falls in December, however, Muslims will face the opposite of midnight sun: polar night. For two weeks, the sun does not rise above the horizon. There was no really established Islamic organisation at the time, or information on the Internet. I had to make up my own rules. - Abdulnasser Mohammed, chairman of the Islamic association in Kiruna "Why don't they come to me to ask about Ramadan then?" asks Halawa of the ECFR. He said a conference will be held later this year to issue a winter timetable for both fasting and prayers. Muslim prayer times also follow the sun - which means that during winter, all five prayers can fall within a time span of two hours. Abdulnasser Mohammed, of Somali origin, was new to Sweden and Kiruna the last time Ramadan fell under the Midwinter night, in 2000. "There was no really established Islamic organisation at the time, or information on the internet. I had to make up my own rules", he said. "I fasted for about five hours." Mohammed, who is now the chairman of the Islamic association in Kiruna, follows the fasting times of Istanbul in the summer, since Turkey is the Muslim country closest to Sweden. But he explains, in his view, everyone is free to choose. "Islam isn't rigorous," he said. "Ramadan is not about starvation or about inflicting injury on yourself. People must choose what works for them." Apart from the Syrians, who have fled the war in their homeland, Eritreans form the largest Muslim community in Kiruna. Hawa Fidel and Alia Hassen host a plentiful Iftar at Stockholm's fast-breaking time, 10:10pm, in the apartment they share. They have prepared seating on the floor and filled trays with sponge-like injera flatbread, spicy beef stew, pastries, and other traditional Eritrean food. The men chatting in the living room are already planning their next communal meal. They have set up a system to share the costs fairly, with participants paying different amounts depending on their incomes. Some have jobs. Others, whose applications for asylum have been rejected, get by on a monthly $200 grant provided by the government. "Eating together with friends remind me of Eritrea," said Fidel, who is still waiting for permanent residency after living in Kiruna for three years. But she misses going to a mosque for tarawih, the special prayers at night during which long portions of the Quran are recited. The Muslim community in Kiruna is using a hall in an apartment block as a mosque, but so far it is only open for Friday prayers. On the first Friday of Ramadan, as the rain trickled down, about 40 men and four women, including Fidel, gathered there at Stockholm's dhuhr prayer time. Safwaan al-Taieb, who used to do the call to prayer in his neighbourhood mosque in Syria's Deraa before he fled the country last year, recited a melodious adhan. Al-Taieb's sister came with him to Sweden, but because she fasts according to Mecca timings and he Stockholm, they do not eat together. Besides the rest of the family, he said the social nature of Syrian society is what he misses the most - during Ramadan and the rest of the year. "In Syria, you don't eat only with your family. Everyone is welcome, we bring plates of food to our neighbours, we invite others. If you do that with Swedish people, they think you're crazy." "Next Ramadan, God willing, I'll be back in Syria." ====================== Supermoon rising over Earth this weekend Published time: July 11, 2014 20:29 Get short URL Reuters / Mike Blake Reuters / Mike Blake Share on tumblr Tags Science, Space, USA Americans with their eyes to the sky this weekend could get a chance to see Earth’s moon as it rarely appears. Starting Friday evening, a so-called “supermoon” will be viewable across the United States. There will be a full moon in the sky starting Friday night and into early Saturday, and this time around the super-sized satellite will look larger than usual. When a full moon occurs at the same time that its orbit brings it closest to the Earth, as expected this weekend, onlookers are greeted with what scientists at NASA call a “supermoon.” Five supermoons are expected in all during the course of 2014, and two of them already happened in the month of January. Beginning Friday evening, however, Americans will have their third chance this year to see a full moon coincide as the satellite’s orbit reaches “perigee” (or “near earth”). Scientists expect that this weekend’s full moon will reach perigee at around 222,611 miles away from Earth — around 30,000 miles closer than the moon will be when it’s at its furthest this year. AFP Photo / Janek Skarzynski The moon typically reaches perigee every 28 days or so, and traditional full moons are hardly uncommon. When the two occur at the same time, however, stargazers see a moon that appears much brighter and larger than what’s normally expected by turning to the sky. Don’t be disappointed if weekend plans will keep you too busy to look outside, though: 2014’s fourth and fifth supermoons are expected to occur in August and September, respectively, and the next instance will bring the oribiting space rock even closer to Earth than what’s expected on Friday evening. Needless to say, these spectacular sightings might be something to behold, but aren’t exactly the rarest of event — on average, they show up around five times a year. Reuters / Aly Song “Like the ‘mini-moon’ and the blue moon, the Supermoon will probably continue to be a part of the informal astronomical lexicon.” Science teacher David Dickinson wrote for Universe Today. “And we'll probably continue to get messages from friends/relatives/random people on Twitter about ‘the biggest full moon ever!’” In a statement from NASA, Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory expressed his annoyance with the lunacy surrounding the whole trend as well. "There's a part of me that wishes that this 'super-Moon' moniker would just dry up and blow away, like the 'Blood-Moon' that accompanied the most recent lunar eclipse, because it tends to promulgate a lot of mis-information," Chester wrote. "However, if it gets people out and looking at the night sky and maybe hooks them into astronomy, then it's a good thing." ========================== DUBAI// Ramadan will begin on Sunday, June 29, officials at the Sharjah Planetarium have announced. The new moon of the month of Shawwal 1435 AH, which marks the end of Ramadan, will appear on Sunday, July 27, at 2.42am. The sun will set on that day at 7.05pm, meaning Monday, July 28, will mark the beginning of Eid Al Fitr and the month of Shawwal. Astronomers said the crescent moon of the holy month will appear on Friday, June 27, at 12.08am. The sun will set that day at 7.12pm, reported WAM, the state news agency. The Planetarium added that daylight hours at the beginning of Ramadan will amount to 13 hours and 45 minutes and the fasting period will be approximately 15 hours and 15 minutes. At the end of Ramadan, daylight hours will amount to 13 hours and 25 minutes and the fasting period will be approximately 14 hours and 55 minutes. Summer officially begins on June 21, marking the beginning of the summer solstice. Average temperatures in the UAE during summer reach an average of 43 degrees Celsius. This drops to 41 degrees at the end of the season. Muslims in some countries will be bracing for longer days during the summer solstice. For instance, daylight hours in the UK will last for about 16.5 hours from 4.42am to 9.21pm, whereas in Tokyo sunrise will be around 4.25am and sunset will be at 7pm. However Reykjavik, Iceland, which lies just a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle, will experience 24 hours of daylight. Experts said Muslims should fast in moderation in such countries. “If the day is so long, do they require to fast for so long hours?” said Hasan Ahmad Al Hariri, the chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group. “For people in London, they can follow the time of Morocco. About 14-15 hours of fasting, which we do in the UAE, is bearable and easy. Islam is based on moderation. It is never extreme. “Are we trying to make people go hungry? The idea is to obey God the way he likes. Internal meditation is important and the idea is to complete a month in a simple, straight way.” newsdesk@thenational.ae Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/first-day-of-ramadan-in-uae-announced#ixzz37TBLGHHL Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook ======================