Throughout history, humans have recognized that the night sky has the ability to mark moments of significance. For Muslims, for instance, the sighting of the moon has long signaled the start of the month of Ramadan, a period of fasting and religious reflection that traces its roots to the seventh century C.E.
Since then, Muslims have turned to the skies to guide their Ramadan observances. So how, specifically, has astronomy informed the traditions of Ramadan, and how has that changed over time?
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The ninth month in Islamic tradition, Ramadan is a time of religious renewal. It represents a part of the Islamic lunar calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, a 12-month calendar of around 354 days that aligns with the monthly cycles of the moon’s phases. During Ramadan, many of the world’s approximately 1.8 billion Muslims fast from dawn to ...
