Ramadan in Space: Astronaut shows breathtaking views of crescent moon

It’s the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan, when Muslims across the globe will be observing fasts, even in space. UAE Astronaut Sultan AINeyadi has marked the start of Ramadan on the Space Station. He is currently on a six-month space mission as part of Crew-6 at the International Space Station. The UAE astronaut is the first Emirati to go on a long-duration mission outside Earth.

AI Neyadi shared a video of the crescent moon from space, marking the start of Ramadan. On earth, the sighting of the moon signifies the beginning of the holy month.

“Ramadan Mubarak. Wishing you all a month filled with blessings. Sharing the beautiful night time scenery from the International Space Station with you all,”  the post reads.

مبارك عليكم الشهر 🌙
اسأل الله ان يهل علينا شهر رمضان بالخير والبركة على الجميع..
اهديكم هذه المشاهد الليلية الجميلة من محطة الفضاء الدولية.

Ramadan Mubarak 🌙
Wishing you all a month filled with blessings
Sharing the beautiful night time scenery from the International Space… pic.twitter.com/oF3557vXtm

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) March 23, 2023

The video shot from the observatory is from a spot where the astronaut has previously shared videos and images of the earth during the daytime. In this particular video, Al Neyadi shares a night-time view with the crescent moon visible in the distance.

Al Neyadi will have to observe his fast in accordance with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is the official time zone at the International Space Station.

The astronauts who live on the International Space Station are unable to observe sunrise and sunset because they travel an average of 16 times per day.

AlNeyadi will not be able to fast during the holy month because working in space requires operations. He had stated prior to his departure for the Space Station that he is unable to engage in activities “that could jeopardize the mission or possibly put the crew members in danger.”

“We’ll see how things turn out. The astronaut had stated, “We’re actually allowed to eat enough to prevent any escalation of lack of food, nutrition, or hydration.”