05/17/2026
Yesterday, last night ( Sat. May 16th), was the New Moon Conjunction.
This is from one of the resources we use to assist us in determining Rosh Chodesh in Israel an hour ago:
Shalom everyone.
There is a chance we may see the first faint sliver of the new moon low in the western sky this evening, but it will be a difficult sighting.
This is because enough hours have passed since conjunction for the moon to move physically far enough from the sun, allowing it to remain above the horizon for over an hour after sunset.
However, because of the specific alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun at this early stage, the fraction of the lunar surface reflecting sunlight back toward us is less than one percent, making the crescent exceptionally thin. Furthermore, sitting so low on the horizon means its faint light must pe*****te a dense layer of Earth's atmosphere, which can easily be overpowered by twilight glare, dust, or localized cloud cover.
Stay tuned!
