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A partial eclipse of the moon will occur in the early morning on August 17 (Sunday) and, weather permitting, it will be visible in Hong Kong.
The partial eclipse will start at 2.23am, and end at 6.06am after the descent of the moon below the horizon (moonset). Due to moonset, the time when the moon leaves the umbra (the darkest part of Earth¡¦s shadow) cannot be observed. This eclipse has a magnitude of 0.813, meaning that 81.3% of the moon's diameter will be obscured by the Earth at the greatest eclipse. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the moon during the eclipse.
Details of the eclipse are as follows:
Azimuth Elevation
Hong Kong Time Direction (Degrees)
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Moonrise 6.33pm(August 16) East-southeast -1
Moon enters 2.23am(August 17) Southwest 43
penumbra
Moon enters 3.36am(August 17) West-southwest 30
umbra
Greatest 5.10am(August 17) West-southwest 11
eclipse
Moonset 6.06am(August 17) West-southwest -1
The best places to observe the event will be those with unobstructed view to the southwest and west-southwest such as areas between Tuen Mun and Tai Lam Chung, Cheung Chau, Stanley, West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade.
The next lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will be on February 9, 2009. It will be a penumbral eclipse.
Please refer to the Hong Kong Observatory website for a detailed explanation of the technical terms used for different stages of the eclipse: http://www.weather.gov.hk/gts/astron2008/lunar_eclipse_e.htm
Ends/Friday, August 8, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:20
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