Moon sighting possible on Saturday

Muscat: The possibility of moon sighting for the month of Muharram,1441 AH will be possible on Saturday with the naked eye, the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (MERA) said. According to the astronomical calculations conducted by the Department of Astronomical Affairs at MERA, the moon will be in the conjunction phase in Muscat on Friday at 2.37 pm and it will descend on Saturday, August 31^st at 7.29 pm, while the sun sets at 6.26 pm. Therefore, the moon will descend about an hour and three minutes after the sunset. Its position in the sky would be about 17 degrees away from the sun. This means that the moon of Muharram can be sighted on Saturday, August 31^st, correspondent to Dhul Hijjah 29^th,1440 AH, if the sky is clear, MERA stated.