Sains Malaysiana 54(9)(2025): 2263-2276

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5409-13

 

The Limitation of Optical Equipment in New Crescent Moon Visibility: Insight from 27 Years of Observation Data in Sarawak, Malaysia

(Had Peralatan Optik dalam Kenampakan Anak Bulan: Pemerhatian daripada Data Cerapan 27 Tahun di Sarawak, Malaysia)

 

AHMAD HARIZ BELY¹, ROSLAN UMAR^1,*, NOR HAZMIN SABRI², AHMAD LUTFI AFIFI MOHD NASIR¹, RAZALIE HUSSAINI³, EMMA ZULAIHA ZULKIFLI^1,4, AMIRUL AKMAL REDZUAN¹, ARWIN JULI RAKHMADI⁵, AMIRUL HAZIM KAMARULZAMAN¹, CHE KU AHMAD FUAD CHE KU ABDULLAH⁶, NUR AZHAR AHMAD⁷, NUR ZULAIKHA MOHD AFANDI¹, SHARIFAH NURUL AISYAH SYED ZAFAR¹, JALALLUDIN BAKAR³
& MUSA GARBA ABDULLAHI⁸

 

¹East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 21300 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
²Advanced Nano Materials (ANoMa) Research Group, Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
³Bahagian Falak, Jabatan Mufti Sarawak, Lorong P. Ramlee 5, KTLD, 93400 Kuching,
Sarawak, Malaysia
⁴Dark Sky Malaysia, Pusat Inkubator Perniagaan, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
⁵Observatarium Ilmu Falak, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Glugur Darat II, Kec. Medan Tim., Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara 20238, Indonesia
⁶Unit Geomatik, Jabatan Kejuruteraan Awam, Politeknik Kuching, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
⁷Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies (ACIS), Universiti Teknologi MARA, 94300 Kota Samarahan,
Sarawak, Malaysia
⁸Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano, Nigeria

 

Diserahkan: 16 Mac 2025/Diterima: 25 Julai 2025

 

Abstract

New Crescent Moon visibility has been extensively studied throughout history due to its undeniable importance in determining the Islamic calendar. Previous visibility models have relied on linear statistical theory, which does not fully account for the circular nature of the variables involved such as atmospheric turbulence, light pollution and limitations of optical equipment. In order to address this matter, this study proposed a new visibility using the limitation of New Crescent Moon sighting via an optical equipment. Data were categorized into two visibility categories, namely: visible to the theodolite and potentially requiring telescopes based on the night visibility that has been captured. The categorization is determined based on the residual local data observations collected in Sarawak, spanning from 1997 to 2023. The proposed limitation was applied by 31 positive data from 167 observations which results indicate that the visibility based on moon ages and altitude of the moon features parameter. This study suggested that the limitation of sighting the New Crescent Moon using an optical equipment range between 11 and 13 h of moon age with a moon altitude of 5° and 6°. These new criteria have a significant positive impact on enhancing the likelihood of observing the New Crescent Moon and improving the accuracy of the Islamic calendar especially in Sarawak.

 

Keywords: Correlation; limitation; New Crescent Moon; observation equipment; Sarawak

 

Abstrak

Kajian kenampakan Anak Bulan sangat penting dalam menentukan tarikh dalam kalendar Islam. Sebelum ini, parameter kenampakan Anak Bulan banyak bergantung pada teori statistik linear yang tidak mengambil kira faktor luaran seperti keadaan atmosfera, pencemaran cahaya dan keterbatasan peralatan optik. Oleh itu, kajian ini meneliti had kenampakan Anak Bulan dengan memberi tumpuan kepada keterbatasan peralatan optik dalam cerapan Anak Bulan. Data dikategorikan kepada dua jenis kenampakan iaitu boleh dilihat dengan theodolit dan boleh kelihatan menggunakan bantuan teleskop berdasarkan kenampakan. Pengelasan ini berdasarkan data cerapan yang dilakukan di Sarawak digumpulkan dari tahun 1997 hingga 2023. Limitasi yang dicadangkan menggunakan 31 data positif daripada 167 data cerapan bagi menentukan hubungan antara umur Anak Bulan dan altitudnya ketika kenampakan berlaku mengunakan peralatan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa Anak Bulan boleh dikesan menggunakan peralatan optik apabila usianya berada dalam julat 11 jam hingga 13 jam dan berada pada altitud 5 darjah dan 6 darjah. Penemuan ini memberikan sumbangan penting dalam meningkatkan ketepatan penentuan awal bulan Islam, terutamanya di Sarawak.

 

Kata kunci: Anak Bulan; korelasi; limitasi; peralatan cerapan; Sarawak

 

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: roslan@unisza.edu.my