UAE Launches New AI Software ‘Hilal’ for Crescent Sighting

Warda Shahid

September 16, 2026

The Abu Dhabi-based IAC built “Hilal,” AI software that photographs ultra-thin crescents near the sun.

Photo by Alexey Chudin

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The International Astronomical Center (IAC), based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, has built a new AI-powered software called “Hilal.”
Hilal is designed to photograph extremely thin crescent moons positioned close to the sun, even in daylight.
The IAC expects Hilal to help document crescent sightings scientifically and push the limits of what can be photographed.

The International Astronomical Center (IAC), based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has built a new AI-powered software called “Hilal.” The tool is designed to photograph extremely thin crescent moons positioned close to the sun, even during daylight hours.

About the International Astronomical Center

The IAC is a scientific center based in Abu Dhabi that focuses on astronomical research and outreach. It runs the Islamic Crescents’ Observation Project (ICOP), which tracks and documents moon-sighting reports from members around the world.

What Hilal Does

Hilal uses smart algorithms to scan automatically for a crescent’s arc, based on its expected position, size, and direction, and it gives a confidence score for each detection. It also corrects for the moon’s movement during a shoot and manages the camera’s exposure on its own.

The software has already proven itself: it successfully photographed the Rabi Al Thani crescent while it was only 4.8 degrees from the sun.

Why It Matters

The IAC expects Hilal to help document crescent observations scientifically and study how thin a crescent can be and still be photographed, especially in cases traditional methods cannot capture.