Year 12 are studying sawm and questions of authority in Islam, including why British Muslim communities have sometimes begun Ramadan on different days. Pairs open Stellarium, set the location to Mecca and the date to 17 February 2026, the day of the new moon, and step to sunset to find the Moon's altitude above the horizon, how much of it is lit and how long after the Sun it sets. They repeat this for London and Jakarta and for the two following evenings, recording each result in a table and comparing it with the guidance that a very thin crescent low in a bright sky is rarely visible to the naked eye. Pairs then read short statements from three positions, local sighting, following the Saudi announcement and astronomical calculation, and decide which evening each position would treat as the start of the month. The lesson ends with a written judgement on whether calculation removes the need for sighting, and what would be lost if it did.
Tools: Stellarium Nine ideas for your own version in Generate
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