Eid-ul-Fitr is expected on October 2nd (Thursday), the met office said here on Monday. "The current astronomical considerations suggest that there is hardly any chance of sighting the new moon of Shawwal on September 30th, 2008, as such holy month of Ramazan would be of 30 days and Eid-ul-Fitr insh'Allah would be celebrated on 02nd October," a statement said.
"Elaborating the technical aspects of the new moon, the following threshold values would be essential for sighting the new moon of Shawwal on September 30th" it said. It said that age of the new moon should be more than 31 hours at 6 the time of twilight whereas it is less than 30 hours all over the country.
Minimum duration of the new moon after sunset should be more than 41 minutes whereas it is less than 25 minutes over most parts of the country, the statement said. The positions of the new moon and its angles at the time of sunset do not meet the basic requirements of the moon sighting, it said.