If you’ve worked in restaurants before, you know that every night before service the staff sits down to what’s called the “family meal.” One of the younger cooks is usually charged with scraping together something filling and, more importantly, not expensive. It was during one of these meals that I first had adobo.

When I worked at the Carnelian Room in the late 80’s, much of the kitchen crew was Filipino, so chicken and pork adobo was a very common dinner. One of the dishwashers made a particularly great version, and I fell in love with the bold, simple flavors. I also remember being pretty annoyed that the dishwashers there were better cooks than I was at the time, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I happened to have some duck legs around last week, and all it took was a well-timed email wishing for adobo to inspire this video. I understand that most of you will not use duck for this, but if you do, be sure to save the fat.

Duck fat is prized by chefs, and more heart-healthy than people realize. It can be used for just about anything you’d normally fry in butter or vegetable oil. I roasted some Brussels spouts with mine, but it also will make just about the best homefries you’ve ever tasted.

Like I said in the video, no duck, no problem. If you can simmer it in a sauce, it will work in this recipe. Because of the high soy sauce content, be careful about over reducing, but other than that, not much can go wrong. This is cheap, easy, and very flavorful, which is why it makes for such a great “family meal.” Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 duck legs:

6 duck legs (or about same amount of chicken or pork)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp reserved duck fat

1 large onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar (if not seasoned, use a little sugar to taste)

1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste (this is a fairly salty dish, so if you're not into that kind of thing, add less and adjust later)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp sambal chili sauce, or other hot pepper sauce to taste

2-4 bay leaves

View the complete recipe

Here is the continuation of the article by Khalid Chraibi (it was originally published at Tabsir.net. It is being republished here with the permission of the author). Here he summarizes some individual and institutional positions on the use of astronomical calculations for the Islamic calendar. See Part 1 of the article here.

The Reform of the Islamic Calendar: Part 2

Khalid Chraibi

The legal opinion of Qadi Shakir
Egyptian qadi Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (who was to become President of the Egyptian Supreme Court of the Shariah at the end of his career, and who remains to this day an author of reference in the field of hadith) (9), wrote a lengthy legal opinion in 1939 on the subject of the Islamic calendar, entitled : “The beginning of Arab months… is it legal to determine it using astronomical calculations?”. (2) According to him, the Messenger took into account the fact that the Muslim community of his time was “illiterate, not knowing how to write nor how to count”. So, he recommended to its members to observe the new moon to carry out their religious duties at the time of fasting and hajj. But the community evolved considerably over time, and some of its members even became experts in astronomy.

According to the principle of Muslim law which states that “a rule is no longer applicable, when the factor which justified its existence has disappeared”, the Messenger’s recommendation didn’t apply anymore to the Muslims, after they had learned to read and count and had ceased being illiterate. Therefore, according to Shakir, contemporary ulama’ commit an error of interpretation when they give to the Messenger’s hadith the same interpretation that applied at the time of Revelation, as if the hadith prescribed immutable rules. But, it has stopped being applicable to the Muslim community long ago, based on the principles of the shari’ah themselves.

Furthermore, Shakir refers to the principle of Muslim law according to which “what is relative cannot refute what is absolute, nor can it be preferred to it, according to the consensus of the ulamas.” The observation of the new moon with the naked eye is relative, and can be the subject of error, whereas the knowledge of the beginning of lunar months, based on astronomical calculations, is absolute, and belongs to the domain of certainty.

Shakir reaches the conclusion that there is nothing in the shari’ah which opposes the use of calculations to determine the beginning of all lunar months, in all circumstances, and not only in special situations, as had been recommended by some ulama’. For him, there can exist only one lunar month applicable in all countries of the world, based on astronomical calculations. The use of the same pre-calculated calendar in all Muslim countries will give them an opportunity to celebrate all major Islamic events on the same day, throughout the world, thereby increasing their feeling of solidarity and unity.

In the 73 years since their publication, Shakir’s conclusions have not been refuted by any Muslim jurist. As a man of law, and as an expert on hadith, he continues to be highly considered by his peers, long after his death. (9) Thus, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the well-known theologian and jurist, has lavishly praised Shakir in a 2004 article entitled “Astronomical calculations and determination of the beginning of months” in which he expressed his full support to qadi Shakir’s conclusions. (3)

Paradoxes
In the process of analyzing this topic, one’s attention is unavoidably drawn to the many paradoxes which exist in the situation, and which have to be confronted if one is to make some progress in dealing with the issues. Thus:

a) The Islamic calendar based on the observation of the new moon is only used in contemporary Muslim societies to determine the dates associated with religious celebrations. To meet all their other needs, Muslims around the world have used, for many centuries, the Gregorian calendar, based on astronomical calculations, without the slightest apprehension that they might thereby be violating religious prescriptions.

Why would it be licit for Muslims (including ulama’) to use the Gregorian calendar based on astronomical calculations to meet all their needs, while the use of the Islamic calendar, based on the same calculations, would be illicit?

b) The same situation can be observed at the level of the Muslim States. For example, Saudi Arabia sees no problem in using the Umm al Qura calendar, based on calculations, for the management of all the administrative and budgetary affairs of the country, while insisting that it would be illicit to use it for the determination of the dates of religious celebrations. On which rules of Shari’ah does this paradoxical proposition base itself?

c) The use by Saudi Arabia of the calendar based on calculations to manage its administrative affairs implies, beyond any doubt, that the lunar calendar based on the monthly observation of the new moon is unfit for such use. So, one must ask oneself: When the Messenger Muhammad referred to the observation of the new moon to determine the beginning of a new lunar month, was it his intention to disconnect the Arab calendar from its astronomical moorings, making it unfit for any practical use? Or did he merely give, at the time of Revelation, an appropriate response to the question put to him, based on the current practices of the Arabs at that time ? In the latter case, shouldn’t this response have been reviewed and adapted to the needs of Muslim societies as they progressed in their scientific, cultural and social environment? Isn’t it time to proceed with this review and adaptation now?

d) Why are the prayer times determined in a lawful shari’ah manner on the basis of astronomical calculations, and yet it is stated that the beginnings of Islamic months cannot be dealt with using the same tools and methods?

Based on all the above considerations, numerous Muslim thinkers and community organizations consider that it is perfectly licit for Muslims to use a calendar based on calculations, in substitution to the calendar based on the monthly observation of the new moon, to determine the beginning of all months. But there remain major differences between them concerning the specifics of the Muslim calendar which could be used as a “global Islamic calendar”, as is clear form the major proposals which were made in this domain in recent years.

The decision of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA)
The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) was regularly confronted with the responsibility of telling its Muslim American audience when to start fasting, when to celebrate eid al-fitr, etc. After several years of study of the legal issues involved, it reached a decision, which it announced in August 2006, to use henceforth a pre-calculated Islamic calendar, taking into consideration the sightability of the new moon anywhere on Earth. (4) The decision of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) combines the theological requirements of the ulama’ with the state of the art in the field of new moon observation. First, it retains the well-known principle of unicity of horizons (matali’) which states that it is sufficient to observe the new moon anywhere on Earth, in order to declare the beginning of a new lunar month, applicable in all areas in which the information is received. (10) Second, it uses the International date line (IDL) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as its conventional point of reference to conduct its analysis.

Based on the maps of sightability of the new moon in the various regions of Earth, which are now regularly prepared by professional astronomers (11), the FCNA reached the conclusion that when the conjunction took place before 12:00 noon (GMT), there was enough time left for the new moon to be seen in numerous areas on Earth where sunset took place long before sunset in North America. Since the criteria of sightability of the new moon were met in these areas, the new moon would be observed (or could have been observed if weather conditions had been adequate) long before sunset in North America.

Therefore, the requirements of sightability of the new moon as set by the shari’ah would be respected, and the new lunar month could begin in North America on sunset of the same day. On the other hand, if the conjunction took place after 12:00 noon GMT, the month would begin in North America on sunset of the following day.

The FCNA decision aroused much interest in many Muslim countries, because it elegantly met the requirements of the traditional interpretation of the shari’ah, while making use of the state-of-the art know-how in the field of astronomy to respond to the needs of the modern age. It was thought that this solution could be applicable in other Muslim countries, and could give them a chance to adopt the same pre-calculated Islamic calendar (prepared on an annual basis, long in advance), in order to fulfill all the religious duties as well as to manage all other tasks.

An international conference was thus held in Morocco, in November 2006, to study the issues involved, with the participation of astronomers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iran, Guinea, Libya, Morocco, and the USA. The overwhelming majority of the participants, including Saudi, Egypt, and Iran astronomers agreed that the calendar adopted by Fiqh Council of North America could be used as a Global Islamic Calendar. (12)

A “global Islamic calendar” based on calculations, set to the coordinates of Makkah
But FCNA changed its position in 2007 to align itself on a new decision by the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), which used the same parameters as those of the Umm al Qura calendar (7) to determine the beginning of Islamic months. These parameters are as follows : the “conjunction” must take place “before sunset at the coordinates of Makkah” and “moonset must take place after sunset” at the same coordinates. FCNA and ECFR justified the adoption of the new parameters by their desire to help develop a consensus within the Muslim community throughout the world on issues of common interest, among which that of the calendar.

From a methodological point of view, the substitution of the parameters of Umm al Qura calendar to those initially set by FCNA in its August 2006 decision has the following consequences:

• The requirement that the “conjunction” take place “before sunset at the coordinates of Makkah” instead of 12:00 noon GMT, as previously specified by FCNA, adds 3 hours to the time period during which the conjunction will be taken into account. This improves the chances that the first day of the new month will immediately follow the day on which the conjunction takes place.

• But, the requirement that “moonset take place after sunset” at the Makkah coordinates sets an unduly restrictive condition, which didn’t exist in FCNA parameters of 2006. It implies that the new moon will be potentially sightable at Makkah on the evening of the day of conjunction, whereas the FCNA based its reasoning on the fact that the new moon would be potentially sightable “somewhere on Earth”.
According to FCNA, the data of the calendar thus obtained differs only marginally from the data developed using its methodology of August 2006. Concretely, the decisions of FCNA and ECFR had the following results:

• The principle of use of a calendar based on calculations was officially sponsored by religious leaders who are well-known and respected within the Muslim community (2) (3) (13)

• This principle was officially adopted by Islamic organizations whose legitimacy and credibility are unquestionable;

• The Muslim communities in Europe and America were willing to use this calendar to determine the beginning of all months, including those associated with religious events.

1st Ramadan 1433: a case study
Five years after the adoption by the FCNA and ECFR of their important decisions, it is possible to draw the point of the situation, based on the announcements made by the major Muslim States and organizations concerned, on the occasion of the 1st of Ramadan 1433 (July 2012). It shows that there remains major differences between them concerning the properties and technical specifications that a “global Islamic calendar” should have.

Thus, in application of its stated policy, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) announced early in July 2012, well in advance of the event, that “the first day of Ramadan 1433 will be Friday, July 20, 2012 and Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, August 19, 2012″. The FCNA explained that:

a) it recognized astronomical calculation as an acceptable shar’ia method for determining the beginning of lunar months including the months of Ramadan and Shawwal;
b) it used Makkah al-Mukarrama as a conventional point for the calculations; and
c) it took the position that the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and moon must set after sunset in Makkah. “On the basis of this method the dates of Ramadan and Eidul Fitr for the year 1433 AH are established as follows: 1st of Ramadan will be on Friday, July 20, 2012 ; and 1st of Shawwal will be on Sunday, August 19, 2012.” (14)

But, the Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) seemed to have changed position, at least momentarily, compared to its 2007 decision. It also announced, well in advance, that the 1st of Ramadan 1433 would be on Friday, July 20, 2012, but explained that this finding was “based on calculation criteria that there must be the possibility of crescent sighting by naked eye or telescope on any place on Earth. To accept the possibility of crescent sighting in any place on Earth the following conditions must exist :
a) The moon must set after sunset in the place where sighting is possible
b) The elevation of the crescent must be at least 5 degrees
c) The elongation distance between the sun and moon must be at least 8 degrees.” (15)

In contrast, Saudi Arabia continued to claim its officially stated, but hard to verify, policy of relying exclusively on sighting to determine the dates of religious observances. Thus, on the evening of Thursday, July 19, 2012 the Saudi authorities announced that the new moon had been observed and that the fast of Ramadan would start on Friday, July 20. The Saudi statement contradicted astronomers’ announcement in moonsighting websites worldwide that it would be impossible to observe the new moon in the Middle East region on the evening of Thursday, July 19. (15) However, based on the Saudi announcement, some 69 countries and Muslim communities worldwide began the fast of Ramadan on Friday, July 20. This represented a historical record in the number of Muslim countries which began fasting on the same date. (15)

For their part, the major Muslim associations of France also announced that the 1st of Ramadan 1433 would be on Friday, July 20, 2012 using a calendar based on astronomical calculations, taking into account the criteria of the possibility of crescent sighting in any place on Earth. (16)

Turkish Muslims in Asia Minor and several Muslim communities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere also began their fast of Ramadan 1433 on Friday, July 20, 2012, basing themselves on the Islamic calendar of Turkey, which is calculated several years in advance (currently up to 1437 AH/2015 CE) by the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi). (17) Since 1 Muharrem 1400 AH (21 November 1979) the computed Turkish lunar calendar is based on the following rule: “The lunar month is assumed to begin on the evening when, within some region of the terrestrial globe, the computed centre of the lunar crescent at local sunset is more than 5° above the local horizon and (geocentrically) more than 8° from the Sun.” (18)

One can draw the following conclusions from the 1st Ramadan 1433 illustration:
a) the use of a Muslim lunar calendar based on calculations is steadily gaining grounds, particularly within the Muslim communities of North America and Western Europe. But there are still important differences as to which new lunar calendar to use, as witnessed by the different methodologies used by FCNA, ECFR, the Muslim associations of France and Turkish Muslims;
b) the number of States claiming to follow the leadership of Saudi Arabia in the matter of the date of religious observances is growing at a considerable rate;
c) Saudi Arabia’s strategy and objectives in the matter of determination of the lunar months associated with religious observances continue to be puzzling for the observer. The Saudi authorities regularly announce the observation of a new moon on dates when professional astronomers state that such sighting was impossible. They use the Umm al Qura calendar (which is based on astronomical calculations) for civil and administrative purposes, but quite regularly advance or postpone the weekday on which falls the 1st of the month associated with religious observances, for unexplained reasons. (7)

These changes decrease the credibility and value of the Umm al Qura calendar as an astronomical calendar that the Muslim community could use, worldwide, leading Muslim communities in North America and Europe to draw their own Muslim astronomical calendar.

The ritual confrontation between tradition and modernity
On the basis of what has been said, it is clear that the Muslim calendar based on the monthly observation of the new moon with the naked eye cannot perform the functions expected of a calendar. It is of no use to manage long-term activities, to anticipate, plan and organize in advance everything that must be done. These weaknesses stand out even more clearly when each State and Muslim community around the world conducts its own individual monthly observation of the new moon, resulting in a range of calendars which present conflicting data for the same day from one country to another.
But, a lunar calendar based on calculations can meet all the needs of Muslims in the world, just as well as the Gregorian calendar they currently use. The only problem concerns the determination of the parameters that would be acceptable to all potential users of the calendar, to turn it into a “global Islamic calendar”. The FCNA and the ECFR presented, in this respect, two basic versions of such a calendar, both equally valid. They deserve to be studied with the greatest care.

Following in the steps of Qadi Shakir, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and the leaders of the FCNA and the ECFR, a new generation of Muslim thinkers see no religious barrier to the adoption of such a calendar. At present, they represent only a minority of people, when compared to the entire Muslim population of the world, and are mostly located in North America, Europe and some North African countries. But, their views are gaining ground, with the support of some distinguished thinkers, political and social leaders, jurists and theologians who are influential in the Muslim world.

Will this Muslim minority be able to convert to its thinking the vast majority of those who, today, continue to uphold the practice of the monthly observation of the new moon? Or, will the latter remain faithfully on the side of the fundamentalist movements which, today more than ever, vigorously preach the respect of orthodoxy and tradition in religious matters? In these early years of the 21st century, the calendar based on calculations thus becomes, in its turn, a stake in the ritual, recurrent political confrontation between those who defend tradition and those who wish to promote modernity in Muslim societies.

Footnotes
(9) Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Muhammad_Shakir
(10) Abi al-Fayd Ahmad al-Ghomari: Tawjih alandhar litaw-hidi almouslimin fi assawmi wal iftar (In order to unify the Muslims when they start and end the fast of Ramadan), 160p, 1960, Dar al bayareq, Beyrouth, 2nd ed. 1999
(11) http://www.moonsighting.com/
(12) http://www.moonsighting.com/1427zhj.html
(13) Zulfikar Ali Shah: ‘The astronomical calculations: a fiqhi discussion’
(14) Fiqh Council of North America: http://fiqhcouncil.org/ Announcements - Ramadan & Eid Mubarak 1433 (2012):
• Ramadan 1433 AH:
• The Astronomical New Moon is on July 19, 2012 (Thursday) at 4:24 Universal Time (7:24 a.m. Makkah time). Sunset at Makkah on July 19 is at 7:05 p.m., while moonset is at 7:11 p.m. Moon is born before sunset in Makkah and moonset is after sunset. Therefore first day of Ramadan is Friday, July 20.
• Eid ul-Fitr 1433 AH:
• The Astronomical New Moon is on August 17, 2012 (Friday) at 15:54 Universal Time (6:54 p.m. Makkah time). On Friday, August 17, sunset at Makkah is 6:49 p.m. and moonset is 6:30 p.m. Moon is born after sunset in Makkah and moon sets before sunset. On Saturday, August 18 , sunset at Makkah is 6:49 p.m. and moonset is at 7:11 p.m. Moon is born 24 hours before sunset, while moonset is after sunset. Therefore, first day of Shawwal, i.e., Eid ul-Fitr is Sunday, August 19.
(15) European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) announcement: http://www.moonsighting.com/1433rmd.html
(16) Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (CFCM): Ramadan moubarak http://oumma.com/13434/ramadan-moubarak and Nidhal Guessoum: Quel sera le premier jour du mois de Ramadan 2012 ? (On which date will Ramadan 2012 begin) ? http://oummatv.tv/13306/sera-premier-jour-mois-de-ramadan
(17) http://www.diyanet.gov.tr/turkish/dy/default.aspx
(18) Robert Harry van Gent: The Islamic calendar of Turkey http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/islam/diyanetcalendar.htm

References:

Helmer Aslaksen: The Islamic calendar 
Methods used by countries for determining the beginning of Islamic months : http://moonsighting.com/methods.html
Moonsighting.com: Selected articles on the Islamic calendar
Islamic Crescent’s Observation Project (ICOP): http://www.icoproject.org/ Selected articles on the Islamic calendar in Arabic 
Mohamed Odeh: The actual Saudi dating system 
Karim Meziane et Nidhal Guessoum: La visibilité du croissant lunaire et le ramadan, La Recherche n° 316, janvier 1999, pp. 66-71
Nidhal Guessoum, Mohamed el Atabi and Karim Meziane : Ithbat acchouhour alhilaliya wa mouchkilate attawqiti alislami (Establishing the lunar months and the problem of keeping time in Islam), 152 p., Dar attali’a, Beyrouth, 2nd ed., 1997
Different proposals for the reform of the Islamic calendar: http://moonsighting.com/calendar.html
A video by Dr.Muzammil Siddiqi on “Fiqh Council of North America about using astronomical calculations to affirm the month of Ramadan”: http://www.islamicity.com/islamitv/?ref=5919
An Article on Sighting and Calculations by Dr. Muneer Fareed
A video by Dr. Jamal Badawi on “To see or not to see: the Moon Sighting controversy in Islam”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzLqHyQ8l9U
A video by Javed Ghamidi: http://www.meezan.tv/videos/928/the-issues-regarding-moon-sighting
A video by Dr. Tahirul Qadri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ8ieVBlE6g 

The issue of Islamic calendar comes up every year around the time of Ramadan and/or the two Eids. On Irtiqa Nidhal Guessoum had this post a little over a year ago: Islam and Astronomy: The tug-of-war continues and another one earlier this year: Important progress on the Islamic calendar problem. And then just a couple of months ago, I had a post about the confusion about Eid in Pakistan: Strife amongst  maulvis give astronomers a rare opening in Pakistan.

We have a guest post here on Irtiqa on this particular topic. It was originally published at Tabsir.net, but it is being republished here with the permission of the author. I think it is an important issue and it is great to see progress being made in this direction (though it is only a matter of time when the dispute will only be about what astronomical marker to use rather than whether we should use calculations. And these discussions will pave the way for that).

Here is the first part of the article. Read part 2 of the article here.

The Reform of the Islamic Calendar: Part 1

by Khalid Chraibi

Shortcomings of the Islamic calendar
A calendar associates a specific date with each day of any given week, month or year, to enable people to manage all their activities over an extended period of time. They must be able to anticipate, plan and organize in advance, using the information provided by the calendar, everything that they need to do. But, in Muslim societies, people wait to see, each country for itself, the appearance of the new moon at the end of each lunar month, before they declare the beginning of a new lunar month. As a result:
- the information in the Islamic calendar does not extend beyond the current month;
- and the data it shows each month differs from one Muslim country to another.
For instance, the first day of Ramadan 1427 corresponded to Saturday, September 23, 2006 in 20 countries ; Sunday, September 24 in 46 countries ; and Monday, September 25 in 5 countries. (1) This situation is in no way unusual, but can be observed every month.

Because of these shortcomings, after the major Muslim countries were occupied by foreign powers in the 19th and 20th centuries, Muslim people started using the Gregorian calendar to meet all their needs, and only care about determining Islamic dates on momentous Islamic religious occasions.
But, to this day, they regularly get puzzled at the inability of the Islamic calendar to predict precisely, well in advance, the day on which major Islamic events such as the first day of Ramadan, or eid al-fitr, or eid al-adha, or the first day of the new Islamic year are to take place. They may even get annoyed because they cannot arrange in advance such ordinary things as taking a few days off from work on such occasions, making hotel bookings or flight reservations, or avoiding to take business or trip commitments on such dates.

The Islamic calendar only lost its usefulness when it got disconnected from its astronomical, conceptual and methodological moorings, early in the 7th century, based on Muslim theologians’ interpretation of a celebrated hadith of the Messenger on how to determine the first day of Ramadan. It could fulfill all the basic functions of a calendar, and meet all the needs of modern man, within the Muslim community, on a worldwide basis, if it were prepared using the applicable scientific concepts, methods and parameters developed in astronomy.

Qadi Ahmad Shakir, President of the Egyptian Supreme Court of the Shari’ah, explained in an important 1939 study of the issues that there was absolutely no obstacle, on the theological level, to the establishment of such an Islamic calendar, using astronomical calculations. (2) In 2004, jurist Yusuf al-Qaradawi announced his full support to Shakir’s analysis and conclusions. (3) For its part, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), acting independently, presented in 2006 an ingenious, well thought-out methodology which permits the adoption of a pre-calculated calendar, while meeting all the traditional requirements of the Shari’ah (4).

Since then, a number of representative organizations of the Muslim communities in North America and Europe announced that they would henceforth use a calendar based on astronomical calculations to determine all the dates associated with the Islamic calendar, in substitution to the traditional method of observing the appearance of the new moon at the end of each lunar month to determine the first day of the following month.

Astronomical considerations
The lunar calendar is based on a year of 12 months adding up to 354.37 days. Each lunar month begins at the time of the monthly “conjunction”, when the Moon is located on a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. The month is defined as the average duration of a rotation of the Moon around the Earth (29.53 days). From an astronomical point of view, lunar months do not have a duration of 30 days and 29 days in sequence. There are at times short series of 29 days and short series of 30 days, as illustrated by the following sequence of the duration of 24 lunar months in the period 2007-2008 : « 30, 29, 30, 29, 29, 30, 29, 29, 30, 30, 29, 30, 30, 30, 29, 30, 29, 29, 30, 29, 29, 30, 29, 30. »

The astronomers set the convention, over two thousands years ago, that months of 30 days and 29 days would succeed each other, adding up over two successive months to 59 full days. This left only a small monthly variation of 44 minutes to account for, which added up to a total of 24 hours (i.e. the equivalent of one full day) in 2.73 years. To settle accounts, it was sufficient to add one day every three years to the lunar calendar, in the same way that one adds one day to the Gregorian calendar, every four years. The lunar calendar based on calculations can thus be established very precisely, on an annual basis, long in advance, with identical monthly data for the whole Earth.

A calendar disconnected from its astronomical moorings
In pre-Islamic Arabia, the Bedouin were used to observing the position of the stars at night, to guide them in their travels through the desert, and to observe the appearance of the new moon to determine the beginning of months. When the Companions of the Messenger asked him about how they should determine the beginning and end of the month of fasting (Ramadan), he told them, in line with the well-established habits of the Arabs, to begin fasting with the appearance of the new moon ( the evening of 29th day of the month of Sha’baan) and to stop fasting with the appearance of the new moon (of the month Shawal). “If the crescent is not visible (due to clouds) count up to 30 days.”

However, the new moon typically becomes visible only some 17 hours after the “conjunction”, and only subject to the existence of favorable conditions including such factors as the site where the observation is carried out, the number of hours since the conjunction, the relative positions of the sun, the moon and the observer, the angle with the sun at sunset, the altitude of the moon at sunset, atmospheric conditions at the site of observation (pollution, humidity, air temperature, altitude), the detection limit of the human eye, etc …

If the “conjunction” occurs early in the day, the new moon may be visible on the same evening, after sunset, in specific regions of Earth where the appropriate favorable observation conditions are met. From one month to the next, these favorable conditions exist in different areas of the globe. Otherwise, beginning with the second night after the “conjunction,” the new moon will be observed easily enough in many regions of Earth. Thus, various States and communities in the Muslim world often begin the new lunar month on different days, with a delay of 24 hours from each other during the 48 hours following the “conjunction”.

Clearly, a calendar which depends on the observation of the new moon, at the end of each lunar month, to determine the beginning of the new month, cannot be of any use to plan activities beyond the current month.

Rigorous rules to reduce uncertainties and drifts
Early astronomers who converted to Islam (and in their wake Muslim jurists) knew that the length of the lunar month was between 29 days and 30 days, whether measured between two “conjunctions” or between two observations of the new moon, as the Messenger had emphasized in various hadiths. (5) As far as they were concerned, the beginning and duration of lunar months were independent of the presence or absence of observers and of the visibility conditions of the new moon in various Earth regions. The first sighting of the new moon anywhere on Earth set the beginning date of each lunar month for the whole Earth (and the duration of each month between two new moons was the same for all regions of Earth).

But, though these principles were conceptually easy to understand, they were difficult to put into practice. Indeed, once the new moon had been reliably observed somewhere, how was this information to be brought to the attention of populations living over extended geographic areas, or even in very remote areas (as illustrated by the distance between Spain and Arabia, for example)? To which communities did such an information apply, as a rule of law, and they had to draw from it all its implications (such as to start fasting, or to celebrate the end of Ramadan, etc.)?

Muslim theologians/jurists in the early days of Islam gave a wide range of practical answers to these difficult questions. One can draw from them a core of fundamental principles, which continue to be of great interest today:

(1) The observation of the new moon can be taken into account only by the communities which receive the information.

(2) The observation of the new moon in Eastern countries marks, from a theoretical standpoint, the beginning of the new month for all countries located to the west of the site of observation. This is so because, as the age of the new moon increases between the time of its birth (at the “conjunction”) and its first setting, the possibility of observing it improves. Thus, going from East to West, from Mecca to Casablanca, for example, the age of the new moon increases by 3 hours between the times of sunset in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

(3) An observation of the new moon must be considered void, when reported before the conjunction has occurred.

(4) In general, given the difficulties of communication between Muslim communities over extended geographic settings, the population of each country must implement the decision of the national authorities concerning the beginning of lunar months.

Today, only the latter principle is scrupulously respected in the Muslim world. As a result, because of the multiplication of States and Muslim communities around the world, the same beginning of month is sometimes shelled out like a rosary in successive days in different countries. Thus, “Eid al Fitr,” corresponding to 1 Shawal 1429, was celebrated in 5 different days around the world: in 1 country on 29 September 2008, in 19 countries on September 30, in 25 countries on 1 October, in 5 countries on October 2, and 1 community on October 3.

Such a drift in the Muslim calendar is contrary to Reason. Nor, would it be possible if the first three principles outlined above were respected. This is the thesis developed in 1965 by Allal El Fassi, an ‘alim (jurist) of the University Qarawiyine of Fez (Morocco) and Moroccan Minister of Islamic Affairs, in a report on “the beginning of lunar months” he prepared at the request of King Hassan II. (6) According to him, if a consensus could be reached on the application in Muslim countries of the first three principles above, such a “return to the sources of Islamic law” could provide a strong basis and impetus for the unification of the dates of religious celebrations across the Muslim world. Thus, the first sighting of the new moon anywhere on Earth should be confirmed by the appropriate Muslim authorities at the site of observation and, using modern communication technologies, should be quickly brought to the attention of the competent authorities of all States and Muslim communities around the world. The latter would have the responsibility to spread the information in their respective territories.

Diversified sets of rules to determine the beginning of lunar months
But, contrary to el Fassi’s recommendations, things became even more complicated as more independent States began specifying new rules and procedures to determine, each one for itself, the beginning of lunar months. Thus, Saudi Arabia bases itself on the monthly observation, by the naked eye, of the new moon to declare the beginning of months associated with religious celebrations (Ramadan, Eid al Fitr, Dhul Hijja, etc.). Specialized commissions have the responsibility, on such occasions, to search for the new moon in the sky. The High Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia bases itself on the result of their observations to determine the beginning of the new month. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Morocco, Nigeria, Trinidad, etc.., the observation of the new moon must be certified by a qadi (judge) or an official specialized commission. In Egypt, the new month begins after conjunction, when the new moon sets at least 5 minutes after sunset.

In Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, the new month begins after the conjunction, when the age of the new moon is more than 8 h, the altitude <2 and="and" elongation="elongation"> 3 °. It begins in Turkey, after the conjunction, when the new moon forms an angle of at least 8 ° with the sun, at an altitude of at least 5 °. In Libya, under the former Gaddafi regime, the new month began when the conjunction occured before dawn (”fajr”), local time.

The study of specific cases shows, however, that there is a significant gap between the rules that the various States say they apply and what they do in practice.

Is it licit for Muslims to use a calendar based on calculations?
The Qur’an prohibits nowhere the use of astronomical calculations for the establishment of a pre-calculated calendar. The procedure is therefore perfectly and undisputably licit. Numerous theologians in the early years of Islam saw no contradiction between the Messenger’s teachings and the use of astronomical calculations to determine the beginnings of lunar months. (5) The dynasty of Fatimids in Egypt used a pre-calculated calendar over a period of two centuries, between the 10th and 12th centuries, before a change of political regime reactivated the procedure of observation of the new moon.
But the majority of Muslim theologians insist nowadays that, no matter what, one can’t go against the Messenger’s teachings. They interpret his recommendation concerning the observation of Ramadan’s new moon as if it were part of the fundamental Islamic dogma. It would be utterly wrong, in their view, to use a calendar based on the conjunction, because one would start fasting, end fasting, and celebrate all other important Islamic events about two days earlier than would be the case if the procedure of observation of the new moon were applied.

The argument, however, is hardly convincing when confronted with the facts of the situation. Thus, “a study of 42 reports of sightings of the Ramaḍān new moon, as announced by the Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia (Majlis al-Qadā’ al-A‘lā) between 1962 to 2001 (1381 AH to 1422 AH), confirms that more than half of these were too early and based on false sightings (Kordi, 2003). Most of these false sightings were probably caused by a bright star or planet (such as Venus) or an airplane contrail viewed near to the western horizon.” (7)

The report of erroneous sightings is not peculiar to Saudi Arabia but is observed in most other Muslim countries studied. The authorities in these countries base themselves on such false sightings to announce the beginning or the end of the fast of Ramadan and other major religious celebrations, even when the reported sightings are in contradiction with the well-publicized astronomical facts of the situation.
In any case, in the view of many Islamic thinkers, the Messenger’s recommendation to the faithful should not be confused with the acts of worship. It was merely adapted to the culture of the times. (6) One should also note that, during long periods of Islamic history, the hadith under discussion was not interpreted to mean the visual observation of a new moon, but only the acquisition of information, according to credible sources, that the month had begun. Thus, one doesn’t have to see the new moon for himself in order to start the fast of Ramadan. He merely needs to learn of the event from credible sources, such as the local authorities. This opens entirely different vistas in the discussion of this question. (6)

As for the hadith of the Messenger according to which the Bedouins can neither write nor count, and must thus avoid using (astronomical) calculations, Ibn Taymiya observes that the argument may have been justified at the beginning of the 7th century, but he questions whether it could still apply to Muslims centuries later, after they had been at the vanguard of development of scientific knowledge, including in the field of astronomy.

The Saudi authorities hold a dual position on this subject. They say they rely exclusively on the sighting of the new moon to determine the dates of all religious celebrations. But they use the Umm al Qura calendar (which is prepared based on calculations) to manage all year-long the administrative and budgetary affairs of the country. (7) Sheikh Abdul Muhsen Al-Obaikan, a Councilor in the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia, is clearly favourable to the use of modern technology to determine the beginning of months. He says “Using the naked eye to determine the beginning and end of Ramadan is primitive in an age of modern science and technology. There is no other way to put it. It’s pure backwardness.” (8)

Parts of the essay appeared on SaudiDebate.com (5 September 2007) and Tabsir.net (23 July 2008). I wish to express my deep appreciation to Ms. Rachida Benchemsi and Messrs Said Branine, Mark Huband, Daniel Martin Varisco and Khalid Shaukat. Any errors of fact or interpretation are solely mine.

Read part 2 of the article here.

(1) http://www.moonsighting.com/1427rmd.html
(2) Ahmad Shakir: « The beginning of arab months … is it legal to determine it using astronomical calculations? ». (published in arabic in 1939) reproduced in the arab daily « al-madina », 13 october 2006 (n° 15878):
http://ahmadmuhammadshakir.blogspot.com/
(3) Yusuf al-Qaradawi: « Astronomical calculations and determination of the beginning of months » (in arabic) : http://www.scribd.com/doc/102861247/Qaradawi-Astronomical-Calculations-and-the-Islamic-Calendar-in-Arabic
(4) Fiqh Council of North America: http://www.moonsighting.com/calendar.html
(5) Abderrahman al-Haj: “The faqih, the politician and the determination of lunar months ” (in Arabic):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102861233/al-Haj-Le-theologien-le-politicien-et-le-debut-des-mois-lunaires-10-10-2004
(6) Allal el Fassi: “Al-jawab assahih wannass-hi al-khaliss ‘an nazilati fas wama yata’allaqo bimabda-i acchouhouri al-islamiyati al-arabiyah” (The true answer […] concerning the beginning of Islamic Arabic months), report prepared at the request of King Hassan II of Morocco, Rabat, 1965 (36 p.), with no indication of editor
(7) Robert Harry Van Gent: “The Umm-al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia” http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/islam/ummalqura.htm
(8) Anver Saad: “The Untold Story of Ramadhan Moon Sighting” Daily Muslims, October 07, 2005 : http://www.scribd.com/doc/102861269/Saad-Untold-Story-of-Ramadhan-Moon-Sighting-Oct-07-2005

Allah's Name Written

Currently there is Strong Winds named "HURRICANE SANDY" which hit Mid Atlantic Coast (New York, New Jersey, and nearby). May Allah protect all the Ummah in there. May this become reminder for all of us. Aameen.

Here is the Du'a when there is strong Winds:

اللّهُـمَّ إِنَّـي أَسْـأَلُـكَ خَيْـرَها، وَخَيْـرَ ما فيهـا، وَخَيْـرَ ما اُرْسِلَـتْ بِه، وَأَعـوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَـرِّها، وَشَـرِّ ما فيهـا، وَشَـرِّ ما اُرْسِلَـتْ بِه.

Allaahumma ‘innee ‘as’aluka khayrahaa, wa khayra mafeeha, wa khayra ma ‘ursilat bihi wa a’oodhu bika min sharrihaa, wa sharri mafeeha, wa sharri maa ‘ursilat bihi”.

"O Allah, I ask You for the good of this wind, for the good of what it contains, and for the good of what is sent with it. I seek refuge in You from the evil of it, from the evil of what it contains, and from the evil that is sent with it."

[Muslim 2/616, Al-Bukhari 4/76]

Picture:
Mid Atlantic Coast Prepares For Hurricane Sandy - AT SEA - OCTOBER 28: In this handout satellite image provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Sandy, pictured at 00:15 UTC, churns off the east coast on October 28, 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean. Sandy which has already claimed over 50 lives in the Caribbean is predicted to bring heavy winds and floodwater to the mid-Atlantic region. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

 

 

Islamic Miracle in Urdu  
Interesting Facts about Qur'an SubhanAllah

Badai Di Lihat dari luar angkasa

 

Astronesia-Selain Amerika Serikat, banyak negara-negara lain yang juga pernah diterjang badai, bahkan beberapa di antaranya adalah badai terdahsyat dalam sejarah hidup manusia. Dari beberapa badai tersebut, ada 10 badai yang dikategorikan paling dahsyat, mengerikan dan mematikan yang pernah terjadi.

1. Badai Hazel (05 Oktober 1954)

 

Dengan kecepatan terjang sebesar 240 km/jam, badai ini berhasil merenggut korban sebanyak kurang lebih 1,200 jiwa. Kerugian materi ditaksir mencapai USD 308 juta (kurs Dollar tahun 1954) atau USD 2,67 miliar (kurs Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012). Karena badai ini, sekitar 40% pohon kopi dan 50% pohon Kakao di Haiti tumbang. Daerah yang dilewatinya meliputi Haiti, Bahama, Carolina Selatan, Carolina Utara, Virginia, maryland, New York sampai Toronto.

2. Badai Stan (01 Oktober 2005)

Tidak hanya di Amerika Serikat saja, di beberapa negara seperti Kosta Rika, Nikaragua sampai Meksiko pada tahun 2005 silam juga terhempas badai yang dinamakan Stan. Badai dengan kecepatan laju sebesar 130 km/jam ini berhasil memporakporandakan banyak bangunan dengan total kerugian mencapai USD 3,9 miliar (kurs Dollar tahun 2005) dan mengakibatkan 1,628 nyawa melayang.

3. Badai Katrina (23 Agustus 2005)

 

Badai Katrina termasuk dalam 5 badai paling mematikan dalam sejarah Amerika Serikat. Karena terpaannya, sekitar 1833 jiwa melayang dan diperkirakan kerugian materi sebesar USD 81 miliar lebih (kurs Dollar tahun 2005). Katrina juga masuk dalam kategori 5 dengan kecepatan laju sebesar 280 km/jam. Tidak hanya badai dan hujan saja, Katrina juga mengakibatkan banjir bandang yang menyapu beberapa bagian di Bahama, Florida Selatan, Kuba, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama dan sebagian daerah di Amerika Utara.

4. Badai David (25 Agustus 1979)

 

Badai ini masuk dalam kategori 5 atau badai dengan kecepatan laju di atas 156 mph atau > 250 km/jam. Menurut laporan, kecepatan David mencapai 280 km/jam. Sebanyak 2,068 nyawa melayang dan kerugian materi sebesar USD 1,54 miliar (kurs Dollar tahun 1979) atau USD 4,93 miliar (kurs Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012). Badai ini menghempaskan banyak kawasan seperti haiti, Dominika, Puerto Rico, Florida dan sebagian Amerika Utara.

5. Badai Jeanne (13 September 2004)

Badai yanrg menghantam secara telah di daerah Great Abaco dan Grand Bahama ini mempunyai pusat pembentukan sekitar 2 mil dari pesisir pantai Florida. Kecepatan lajunya mencapai 195 km/jam. Daerah yang diterjangnya mengalami kerugian sebesar USD 7 juta (kurs Dollar tahun 2004) atau USD 8,61 miliar (kurs Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012). Kurang lebih sebanyak 3,035 orang meninggal akibat badai ini.

6. Badai Flora (26 September 1963)

 

Karena mengakibatkan sekitar 7000-8000 nyawa melayang, badai Flora dapat dikategorikan salah satu badai paling mematikan di kawasan Atlantis. Kecepatan badai ini mencapai 230 km/jam. Total kerugian yang diakibatkan amukan Flora sebesar kurang lebih USD 528 juta (kurs Dollar tahun 1963) atau USD 4,01 miliar (kurs Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012). Badai Flora menerjang banyak daerah antara lain Amerika Utara dan Selatan, Trinidad dan Tobago, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaika, Kuba, Bahama, Turki dan kepulauan Caicos, Bermuda dan Kanada.

7. Badai Fifi-Orlene (14 September 1974)

 

Badai ini memiliki dua nama yaitu Fifi atau juga dapat disebut Orlene. Kecepatan maksimum badai ini mencapai 175 km/jam. Sekitar 10 ribu orang meninggal di Honduras dan kerugian materi diperkirakan mencapai USD 1,8 miliar (kurs Dollar tahun 1974)atau USD 8,48 miliar (kuras Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012). Badai ini juga menghantam 8 negara lainnya selain Honduras yaitu Jamaika, Hispanola, Nikaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Meksiko dan Arizona.

8. Badai Mitch (22 oktober 1998)

 

Badai ini dapat dikatakan sebagai badai paling mengerikan dan terdahsyat sepanjang sejarah manusia. Kecepatan terpanya diperkirakan mencapai 285 km/jam. Badai ini terdeteksi mulai tanggal 22 Oktober 1998. Mitch bergerak cepat dan meluluhlantakkan Nikaragua, Honduras, El Salvador dan Guatemala secara langsung. Diperkirakan sedikitnya 19,325 jiwa melayang dan kerugian ditaksir mencapai USD 6,2 miliar (kurs Dollar tahun 1998) atau USD 8,84 miliar (kurs Dollar rata-rata tahun 2012).

Sumber: Merdeka.com

Astronesia-Apakah video ini UFO atau percobaan rudal yang gagal?rekaman ini diambil di White Sands Missile Range pada tahun 1996 atau 1997.

Banyak yang bilang kalau itu adalah percobaan rudal yang gagal,tapi menurutku agak aneh kalau itu rudal,Soalnya Obyek terang itu tampak turun, menghentak tanah, memantul ke atas, jatuh dan kemudian meledak.Atau apakah ada rudal jenis baru yang bisa memantul?

Silahkan liat videonya berikut ini:

Oh Allah forgive our Sins and Protect Us with your Mercy Ameen! Super storm Sandy now in New york

Astronesia-Belum lama berselang setelah badai tropis bernama Issac hantam beberapa negara bagian di Amerika Serikat, kini badai Sandy kembali memporak-porandakan banyak negara bagian di negara Paman Sam itu. Kenapa Amerika Serikat sering dihantam badai?

Saat ini beberapa kawasan di Amerika Serikat khususnya yang berada di sebelah timur mengalami kerusakan akibat terjangan badai Sandy. Beberapa orang mengatakan bahwa amukan Sandy lebih besar daripada Katrina. Namun, opini tersebut masih dibantah oleh beberapa peneliti.

Pada bulan September lalu, badai Isaac juga menyapu pesisir pantai negara-negara bagian di sebelah timur Amerika Serikat, khususnya di sekitar Alabama. Muncul satu pertanyaan, kenapa rata-rata badai lebih sering menghantam bagian timur Amerika Serikat daripada kawasan yang berada di sebelah barat?

Menurut penjelasan dari Chris W. Landsea, seorang peneliti di Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory/Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Miami, ada dua alasan kenapa badai sering menghantam kawasan bagian timur daripada bagian barat.

Pertama, temperatur air di Amerika Serikat bagian timur dan barat sangat berbeda. Seperti yang dilansir Accu Weather (27/08), sepanjang East Coast atau pesisir pantai bagian timur, beberapa teluk atau Gulf Stream memiliki temperatur air yang hangat. Air di daerah tersebut memiliki suhu di atas 80 derajat Fahrenheit atau sekitar 26,5 derajat Celcius. Sedangkan temperatur air di bagian barat hanya tercatat di bawah 70 derajat Fahrenheit atau di bawah suhu 20 derajat Celcius.

Catatan para 'pemburu badai', hampir semua badai memiliki kesamaan karakteristik dalam pembuatannya. Badai akan terbentuk dikarenakan terdapatnya air dengan temperatur suhu yang hangat. Badai tidak akan terbentuk apabila berada di kawasan yang dingin. Alasan kedua adalah dikarenakan garis lintang daerah tropis dan sub-tropis.

Kerry Emanuel, Center for Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, menjelaskan karakteristik pergerakan badai. Dalam penjelasannya tersebut, Emanuel mengatakan bahwa setiap badai selalu memiliki kemiripan pergerakan yaitu dimulai dari timur dan akan berakhir di barat.

Pergerakan semacam ini disebut juga dengan nama Trade Winds. Badai akan terus bergerak ke arah barat dan ketika sudah sampai 'di tempat tujuannya', badai akan sedikit melonggarkan kecepatannya dan kemudian hilang secara perlahan.

Memang masuk akal apabila dalam jangka waktu yang lumayan pendek, di daerah timur Amerika Serikat dihantam dua badai yang berbeda. Menurut paparan di Science Youth Dictionary, Amerika Serikat bagian timur akan selalu menerima hantaman badai ketika masuk bulan Agustus.

Hal tersebut dinamakan Hurricane Season atau musim badai. Pihak pemerintah negara Paman Sam tersebut menjelaskan bahwa badai akan sering terjadi mulai bulan Agustus dan mencapai puncaknya pada bulan September.

Musim badai akan berakhir ketika masuk bulan November. Sampai saat ini, kerugian materi yang ditanggung orang-orang di kawasan timur Amerika Serikat belum dapat terhitung secara pasti.

merdeka.com

Strain bakteri Conan Deinococcus radiodurans.

Astronesia-Ada satu bakteri yang dinamai "Conan the Bacterium" alias Bakteri Conan karena kekuatan bertahan hidupnya, yakni Deinococcus radiodurans. Bakteri tersebut sebelumnya dikatakan mampu bertahan dari radiasi.

Kini, secara teori, bakteri tersebut pun disebut bisa bertahan hidup di Mars hingga jutaan tahun. Kemampuan bertahan hidup yang dimaksud di sini adalah kemampuan menjalani masa dormansi atau tidur lama saat kondisi ekstrem.

Telaah teoretis tersebut muncul dari eksperimen Lewis Dartnell dari University College London dan koleganya. Mereka membekukan bakteri tersebut pada temperatur -79 derajat celsius, temperatur rata-rata di Mars. Setelah dibekukan, bakteri dipapar sinar gama dengan dosis tertentu dalam jangka waktu lama untuk mengetahui respons bakteri terhadap radiasi.

Hasilnya, lewat simulasi itu, tim peneliti menyimpulkan bahwa bakteri tersebut bisa tetap bertahan hidup selama 1,2 juta tahun di lingkungan Mars sebelum akhirnya populasi mereka berkurang menjadi hanya sepersejuta dari populasi semula.

Studi sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa kemampuan bertahan hidup dari bakteri ini dipengaruhi oleh temperatur Mars yang membuat mereka membeku. Radiasi memiliki lebih sedikit efek buruk pada sel-sel yang membeku. "Suhu dingin bermanfaat di sini. Itu meningkatkan kesempatan untuk tahan dari radiasi," kata Dartnell.

Selain Deinococcus radiodurans, Dartnell juga meneliti tentang bakteri yang dia isolasi dari lembah kering di Antartika, tempat ketika suhu bisa mencapai -40 derajat celsius ketika musim dingin tiba. Bakteri tersebut berasal dari strain Brevundimonas. Hasil eksperimennya menunjukkan, bakteri itu bisa bertahan hidup selama 117.000 tahun di Mars.

Menanggapi eksperimen tersebut, Cassie Conley dari NASA mengungkapkan, "Semakin banyak kita belajar tentang makhluk hidup di Bumi, semakin banyak juga kita akan mengetahui bahwa makhluk hidup tersebut bisa hidup di luar Bumi."

Penelitian Dartnell dan koleganya dipublikasikan di jurnal Astrobiology yang terbit tanggal 17 Oktober 2010. 

kompas.com

1.Foto Bintik Merah jupiter Dilihat oleh Voyager

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Foto jarak dekat Great Red Spot Jupiter seperti yang terlihat oleh pesawat ruang angkasa Voyager.

2.Great White Spot di Saturnus

Credit: Carolyn Porco and CICLOPS; NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Gambar Saturnus diambil pada bulan Desember 2010 oleh pesawat ruang angkasa Cassini menunjukkan badai dengan batas garis lintang dan longitudinal dari 10.000 km dan 17.000 km, masing-masing. Tingkat lintang kepala badai kira-kira jarak dari London ke Cape Town. A "ekor" yang muncul dari ujung selatannya meluas jauh ke timur.

3. Neptune's Great Dark Spot

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Bintik gelap Neptunus, disertai dengan putih ketinggi-tinggian awan, seperti yang terlihat oleh pesawat ruang angkasa Voyager.

4.Badai Yang Sempurna

 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Sebuah badai besar di Saturnus telah berkembang dari sebuah titik kecil yang muncul 12 minggu sebelumnya di utara Saturnus tepatnya di pertengahan garis lintang. Badai ini masih aktif, badai ini adalah yang terbesar dan paling intens diamati di Saturnus oleh NASA Voyager atau pesawat ruang angkasa Cassini. Seperti yang terlihat dalam gambar Cassini ini dan lainnya, badai mengelilingi planet - yang lilitan pada lintang ini adalah 186.000 mil (300.000 kilometer). Dari utara ke selatan, mencakup jarak sekitar 9.000 mil (15.000 kilometer), itu merupakan sepertiga dari bentuk Bumi. Area ini mencakup seluas 1,5 miliar mil persegi (4 miliar kilometer persegi), atau delapan kali luas permukaan bumi. Frame di atas adalah pembesaran dari mosaik tengah yang terdiri dari 84 gambar terpisah.

5. Hexagon Aneh Di Saturnus

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Sebuah fitur enam sisi yang aneh mengelilingi kutub utara Saturnus dekat 78 derajat lintang utara telah tertangkap oleh spektrometer pemetaan visual dan inframerah pada pesawat ruang angkasa Cassini NASA.

Space.com

by Salman Hameed

Sandy has made a mess in New York and New Jersey. We were spared except for high wind gusts. I'm also getting out of a grading black hole (grading 50 papers can break the human spirit :) ). So yes, a number of back-logged posts are coming up.

Here is a Pew survey from 10 days ago. It looks at the US public attitudes towards American foreign policy (this was done before the 3rd Presidential debate). For our interest here, let's focus on some of the opinions regarding the Middle East. So first of all, the optimism regarding the Arab Spring has cooled down considerably:

Actually I find interesting that around 35% of people think that the changes in the leadership in the Middle East would be bad for the US - and that number has not really changed. This is a bit in contrast to the political sound-bites as well as the way media has covered this issue. Because what we are left here is that about half of the respondents believe that the changes either will be good for the US or have no impact on the relations to the US. That is a rosier interpretation than we usually hear.

But what I find interesting is that a vast majority of the respondents in the US want less American involvement in the Middle East:

And yet, only 35% say that it is important for the US avoid a military conflict with Iran over the nuclear issue! Wow. I guess, that is not really considered involvement - especially, when the impact of war is far away. Even scarier - only 17% of Romney voters are against this military conflict and 78% wants to take a firmer stance:

So if Romney is elected (yikes!) at least he will know that he has a strong backing of his supporters to initiate a military conflict with Iran over the nuclear issue. Not that Obama's foreign policy has been great (the Noble Peace Laureate personally authorizes drone strikes on individuals), but a Romney presidency will potentially be scarier for the region.

Here is a recent BBC poll that residents in 20 out of 21 countries favor Obama over Romney. One exception: Pakistan (actually from the numbers it looks like Pakistanis don't want either of them elected).

Read the full Pew Report here and the BBC poll here.

1.'Frankenstrom' from space: Foto Badai Sandy Dari luar angkasa

NOAA Goes East Satelitte mengambil gambar Badai Sandy at 10:45 am EDT (1445 UTC) pada tanggal 24 Oktober 2012, sepertinya  menuju pendaratan di Jamaika

2.Meteor Shower Orionid wows Stargazers Weekend

Hujan meteor Orionid memasuki puncaknya pada Minggu (Oktober 21), dengan latar bintang yang menakjubkan di seluruh dunia dengan kembang api langit nya. Hujan meteor Orionids adalah salah satu dari dua "bintang jatuh" yang diciptakan oleh sampah lintasan Komet Halley.

3. Sun's Plasma Loops Shine as Art in NASA Video Technique

Gradient filter untuk meningkatkan kontras dalam foto tidak hanya di gunakan fotografer lagi. Para astronom menggunakan mereka untuk melihat lebih baik di matahari kita juga.

4.Foto Menakjubkan Lidah Matahari Oktober 2012 

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory satelit menangkap ini foto dari suar X-kelas saat sang surya melepaskan lidah api tanggal 22 Oktober 2012.

5.Planetfall: Keajaiban Tata Surya

Sunset di Pasifik seperti yang terlihat dari Stasiun Luar Angkasa Internasional pada ketinggian 235 mil. awak ISS 007 , 21 Juli 2003

Space.com