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A total lunar eclipse will occur on December 21 (Tuesday), but will only be visible as a partial eclipse in some parts of Hong Kong if the weather is fine.
Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Woo Wang-chun, said, "By the time the moon rises that afternoon, the eclipse will have started. The only part of the eclipse that will be visible in Hong Kong occurs when the moon is about to leave the umbra." The moon will rise at 5.44pm and leave the umbra at 6.02pm. The eclipse will end at around 7.06pm. Please refer to the attachment for the path of the moon during the eclipse.
Details of the partial lunar eclipse are as follows:
Hong Direction Elevation
Kong (Azimuth)
Time
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Moon rises 5.44pm East-northeast(64) -1 degrees
Moon leaves 6.02pm East-northeast(66) 3 degrees
umbra
Moon leaves 7.06pm East-northeast(71) 16 degrees
penumbra
"As the elevation of the moon is very low during the eclipse, the event can only be observed at places with an unobstructed view of the horizon in the direction of east-northeast, such as from Pak Shek Kok Promenade, Plover Cove Reservoir or the top of Tai Mo Shan," said Mr Woo.
The next lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will occur on June 16, 2011. It will be a total 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/astron2010/lunar_eclipse_e.htm.
Ends/Thursday, December 9, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:01
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