المملكة: Jeddah Astronomy: The Ramadan moon reaches the first quarter phase on Tuesday evening
Jeddah Astronomical Society Engineer Majed Abu Zahra that Qamar The month of Ramadan Today, Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 03:27 pm Mecca time, it reaches the first square phase, 7 days and 26 minutes after the moment of conjunction, in an astronomical phase that represents a quarter of the moon’s conjunction cycle as seen from the Earth, and constitutes a clear time mark of the progress of the days of the lunar month.
He explained that the first square phase occurs when the angle between the moon and the sun reaches about 90 degrees, so half of the moon’s disk appears illuminated while the other half remains dark.
This phase is considered one of the most suitable phases for observation, as the moon can be seen clearly after sunset, and it continues to appear in the sky until around midnight, making it an ideal target for observation with the naked eye.
The synodic lunar cycle
He indicated Majed Abu Zahra pointed out that the lunar conjunction cycle, extending from one moon to another, takes an average of about 29.5 days, and therefore the first square phase usually appears about 7 days and 9 to 10 hours after the moment of conjunction, with slight time differences from month to month due to the change in the speed of the moon during its movement in its elliptical orbit around the Earth.
Abu Zahra stressed that this phase is an ideal opportunity to monitor The topography of the moon’s surface, as the oblique angle of illumination contributes to clearly highlighting the craters, mountains, and lunar plains along the line separating light from shadow, where the surface appears with a light contrast that gives it a three-dimensional appearance.
Best viewing
The best viewing can be obtained using binoculars or a small telescope with an aperture between 4 and 6 inches, where the mountain edges and fine terrain structures are clearly visible.
He added that the moon rises during the first quarter phase. Approximately at noon, it reaches its highest height after sunset, then it sets near midnight, and the right part of its disk appears illuminated to observers in the northern hemisphere.
Full Moon
As the Moon continues its orbital movement around the Earth, the angular distance between it and the sun gradually increases, and the illuminated part of its disk expands night after night, heading toward the full moon phase, which provides successive opportunities for observation and astronomical photography during the coming nights of the month. Ramadan.
This celestial event embodies a spectacle that combines scientific accuracy with the beauty of observation, and provides astronomy enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to follow the development of the phases of the moon and clearly monitor the details of its surface during the nights of the holy month.
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