BMKG predicts Eid al-Fitr 2026 may fall on March 21
Thekabarnews.com—The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says that Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri could be on Saturday, March 21, 2026. This prediction is based on astronomical estimates...
Thekabarnews.com—The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says that Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri could be on Saturday, March 21, 2026. This prediction is based on astronomical estimates of how conspicuous the crescent moon is at the start of the Islamic month of Syawal.
The prediction is based on BMKG’s 2026 hilal height map, which watches the young crescent moon that marks the end of Ramadan. Furthermore, the organization made the information public to help people figure out when the Eid al-Fitr holiday might be in Indonesia.
The study indicated that the location of the hilal on March 19, 2026, which is the 29th day of Ramadan 1447 Hijri, may not meet the MABIMS countries’ (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) standards for being visible.
MABIMS says that a new Islamic month can start if the crescent moon is at least 3 degrees high and 6.4 degrees long at sunset.
If the hilal did not achieve these standards on March 19, Ramadan would conclude as a 30-day month. Therefore, Syawal and Eid al-Fitr would start on March 21, 2026.
BMKG officials said that the agency’s astronomical data is a very essential scientific tool for finding out when Islamic months start in Indonesia.
The BMKG also found out that the geocentric conjunction (ijtimak), which is when the Moon and Sun are at the same ecliptic longitude when seen from the center of the Earth, will happen on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 08:23:23 WIB.
In international time, the event takes place at 01:23:23 UTC, 09:23:23 WITA, and 10:23:23 WIT.
BMKG said that the Sun and Moon were at an ecliptic longitude of 358.45 degrees at the conjunction. In addition, BMKG also learned that the synodic lunar period, or the duration between two consecutive conjunctions, is 29 days, 13 hours, and 22 minutes.
Astronomers say the crescent moon will be low in the sky after sunset on March 19. Therefore, it’s unclear if people in Indonesia will see it.
On that day, different sections of the country would experience varying sunset times. For example, the earliest time for the sun to set in Waris, Papua, is 17:48:13 WIT. The sun will set the latest in Banda Aceh at 18:49:39 WIB.
In all of Indonesia, the conjunction occurred before sunset. Therefore, hilal observations to find out when Syawal starts can start soon after sunset on that day.
The Religious Affairs Ministry will still host an isbat session to decide when Eid al-Fitr officially starts in Indonesia.
Abu Rokhmad, the director general of Islamic community guidance, said that an isbat session will be on March 19, 2026. This date is 29 Ramadan 1447 Hijri.
“The isbat meeting to choose 1 Syawal 1447 Hijri will be on March 19,” Abu said.
The Isbat session will begin at 4:00 p.m. WIB in Jakarta’s H.M. The Isbat session will take place at the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Rasjidi Auditorium. Authorities will look at both astronomical calculations and verified testimonies of individuals sighting the moon before announcing the official date of Eid al-Fitr.
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