How are the Portsmouth prayer times calculated?
We calculate the times astronomically for central Portsmouth (latitude 50.82° N) from the sun’s position each day: Fajr when the sun reaches the method’s dawn angle below the horizon, Dhuhr after solar noon, Asr when an object’s shadow equals its length (twice its length in the Hanafi school), Maghrib at sunset and Isha when twilight disappears. Times across the city differ by a minute or two.
Why do Fajr and Isha vary in summer?
Even in southern Britain summer nights are very short, so in June Fajr comes close to astronomical midnight. That is why mosque timetables in the south differ in summer depending on their method. Days where the high-latitude rule applied are marked with an asterisk.
Which method should I choose?
By default we show the Muslim World League method (Fajr 18°, Isha 17°), widely used in prayer apps. Many Arabs are used to the Egyptian method (19.5°, 17.5°) or Umm al-Qura; choose yours above. The difference can reach half an hour for Fajr in summer; your mosque’s timetable is the final reference.
Accuracy against the Adhan reference library: ±2 minutes. The Hijri date uses the Umm al-Qura calendar and may differ by a day from local moon sighting.