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A total solar eclipse will occur on July 22 (Wednesday), but it will be visible only as a partial eclipse in Hong Kong, weather permitting.
It will begin at 8.15am and end at 10.46am, with the maximum eclipse occuring at 9.26am. The eclipse will have a magnitude of 0.748, meaning that 74.8% of the sun's diameter will be obscured by the moon at maximum eclipse. This will be a solar eclipse of the largest magnitude seen in Hong Kong since 1958. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the sun and the moon during this partial eclipse. (The attached diagram is for illustrative purpose only. Sizes of the sun and the moon are not drawn to scale.)
Details of the partial eclipse are as follows:
Hong Kong Time Azimuth Elevation
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Eclipse begins 8.15am East 31 degrees
Maximum eclipse 9.26am East 47 degrees
Eclipse ends 10.46am East 66 degrees
The elevation of the sun is rather high during the eclipse so most places with an unobstructed view to the east are suitable for viewing the event.
Due to the damaging effect of sunlight, people should not look directly at the sun with the naked eye or through a telescope. A safer method is to project the sun's image through a pinhole or a telescope onto a piece of white paper or cardboard and view the projection. An illustration is given on the Hong Kong Observatory's website (www.weather.gov.hk/gts/event/event-solar-eclps16_e.htm).
The next solar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will be on January 15, 2010. It will be an annular eclipse but visible only as a partial eclipse in Hong Kong. The next large solar eclipse visible in Hong Kong will occur on May 21, 2012. It will be an annular eclipse.
Please refer to the Observatory's website for a detailed explanation of the technical terms used for different stages of the eclipse (www.weather.gov.hk/gts/astron2009/solar_eclipse_e.htm).
Ends/Friday, July 10, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:04
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