Ramadan 1430 Begins
Ramadan Mubarak to all! This evening August 21st, 2009 at 8:06 pm PDT the new crescent moon of Ramadan 1430, was sighted by a group of over 30 men and women, not counting the numerous children as well at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, just west of Palo Alto, CA in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We had clear skies with some dark thick marine layer atmospherics close to the horizon. It was a fine crescent that was about 3.5 degrees in altitude above the horizon and at a true azimuth of 265 degrees.
The group of sighters started out at about 20 people and over the next 15 minutes it grew to well over 35 people. As the evening progressed everyone became quite joyful that the Blessed Month of Ramadan was upon us. As the moon approached the horizon, we packed up and headed off into the night with the intention of commencing our Fast for the next 29 or 30 days, until we see the next new moon. So Congratulations to all for having another opportunity to benefit from Ramadan. May all your prayers and fasting be accepted this month.
