Star-gazing Muslims Celebrate The Beginning of Ramadan

By Tom Gillespie @TomGillespie1

Indonesian Muslims gaze up at a crescent moon as they welcome in the holy month of Ramadan

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Amateur astronomers all over the Southeast Asian country looked up at the night sky through telescopes in a practice known as a Rukyatul Hilal.

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Viewpoint: A muslim observes the moon on the first day of Ramadan
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It was a cloudy night when the crescent moon heralded the start of the holy festival

The sighting marked the beginning of the month-long holy tradition on June 16.

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A star-gazer silhouetted as he observes the moon
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People all across Indonesia took part in the practice known as Rukyatul Hilal

Muslims fast between dawn and sunset during Ramadan, which lasts between 29 and 30 days.

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A man observes the crescent moon in the distance

It closes when a new moon arrives to welcome in the religious holiday of Eid al-Fitr, when Muslims feast to mark the end of fasting.

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A lady at a telescope during the holy event
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An Indonesian Muslim at the mic as Ramadam begins