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New Crescent Moon Sighting Calculator
Set your location to calculate Moon visibility
Chandra Darshan (चन्द्र दर्शन) is the first sighting of the new crescent Moon after Amavasya (new Moon). In the Hindu calendar, sighting the new Moon — especially on Shukla Dwitiya (the second lunar day) — is considered highly auspicious. The Islamic calendar (Hijri) also depends on Moon sighting (Hilal) to mark the beginning of each lunar month.
Sighting the new crescent Moon on Shukla Dwitiya is called "Chandra Darshan" and is believed to bring prosperity and remove sins. On Karva Chauth, married women break their fast only after sighting the Moon through a sieve. In Islam, the sighting of the Hilal (new Moon) determines the start of Ramadan, Eid, and other months.
Look toward the western horizon 20-30 minutes after sunset. The crescent will be a very thin arc of light just above where the Sun set. A clear, unobstructed horizon helps enormously. Binoculars can reveal a crescent that is invisible to the naked eye. The Moon sets soon after the Sun on the first evening, so you have only a brief window.
We use a simplified version of the Yallop/Odeh model, considering three key factors: (1) Moon age — hours since the last Sun-Moon conjunction, (2) Elongation — the angular distance between Moon and Sun in degrees, and (3) Moon altitude at sunset. Generally, a Moon younger than 15 hours is never visible. Between 15-24 hours with >10° elongation, sighting is difficult. After 24-36 hours with >12° elongation, naked-eye visibility is likely.