Eid Al Fitr 2026 Likely to Fall on March 20 in UAE, Say Sharjah Astronomers Millions of residents across the United Arab Emirates are awaiting official confirmation of the Eid Al Fitr 2026 date, a major religious and public holiday marking the end of Ramadan. The Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, through its Sharjah Astronomical Observatory, has released an early prediction indicating that the festival is expected to begin on March 20. According to the academy, Ramadan 1447 AH will complete 30 days, making Friday the first day of Shawwal and the start of Eid Al Fitr in the UAE. The moon sighting timeline for the holy month of Ramadan is critical in determining the exact date. On March 18, the 29th day of Ramadan, the crescent moon will not be visible as the moon will set before sunset in the western skies. Astronomers explained that the country will observe Ramadan on that evening, meaning March 19 will mark the completion of the holy month. The observatory noted that the new moon will occur over Sharjah at 4:24 am UAE time on March 19, 2026. By sunset, the crescent moon will be approximately 14 hours and 6 minutes old, with an angular separation from the sun of 6.5 degrees, an altitude of six degrees above the western horizon, and a visibility window of around 29 minutes after sunset. However, the viewing conditions for the moon in the UAE are described as "critical" or unfavorable. The observatory stated that spotting the crescent locally would be extremely difficult, even with the aid of telescopes. Advanced techniques such as image stacking may be required to capture the crescent, and naked-eye observation is unlikely to succeed.#shawwal #eid_al_fitr #sharjah_academy #sharjah_astronomical_observatory #ramadan
