HKO - Under the Same Sky 130 Years - Display Area 11
Display Area 11 : Now and then of Hong Kong Observatory
Picture of Exhibit 1 - Past
The Observatory installed its st weather radar in 1959. This photograph shows the Tate's Cairn Weather Radar Station in the foreground.
Picture of Exhibit 1 - Present
In 1999, the Tai Mo Shan Doppler Weather Radar Station was established. Dual radars in action at Tate's Cairn and Tai Mo Shan provide reliable and timely weather information services to members of the public in Hong Kong. The ability to detect winds by Doppler effect is also useful for the analysis of typhoon intensity and rainstorm structure.
Picture of Exhibit 2 - Past
From 1963 onwards, the Observatory started to develop equipment for the tracking and receiving of signals from the st-generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellites launched in the early 1960s by the United States.
Picture of Exhibit 2 - Present
Entering the twenty-st century, the Observatory receives direct broadcasts from various satellites operated by different countries including China, the US and Japan. The image shown here was taken by Japan's MTSAT-2 satellite during the approach of Severe Typhoon Vicente in July 2012.
Picture of Exhibit 3 - Past
In 1979, the Observatory developed and operated a Low Level Wind Shear Detection System (LLWSDS) for the then Hong Kong International Airport at Kai Tak on an experimental basis.
Picture of Exhibit 3 - Present
In 2005, the Observatory-made Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) Windshear Alerting System began operation at the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, the st of its kind in the world.
Picture of Exhibit 4 - Past
Doppler acoustic radars, installed at Lei Yue Mun in 1984 for the Low Level Wind Shear Detection System (LLWSDS) of the then Hong Kong International Airport at Kai Tak .
Picture of Exhibit 4 - Present
Wind proer, acquired in 1996 to replace the Doppler acoustic radars for monitoring wind speed and wind direction at different heights above ground.
Picture of Exhibit 5 - Past
Rainfall measurement being manually performed in 1964.
Picture of Exhibit 5 - Present
This automatic weather station in Sha Tin was the st of its kind. It was established by the Observatory in 1984.
Picture of Exhibit 6 - Past
Radar image of Typhoon Wanda approaching Hong Kong in 1962.
Picture of Exhibit 6 - Present
The three-dimensional radar echoes of Severe Typhoon Vicente skirting Hong Kong in July 2012.
Picture of Exhibit 7 - Past
The Observatory installed its st computer system, an IBM1130, with a computing speed of 10 FLOPS, in 1973.
Picture of Exhibit 7 - Present
After numerous upgrades over the years, the main computer has attained a computing speed of nearly 7.7 teraFLOPS (7.7 trillion ating-point operations per second) by 2010.
Picture of Exhibit 8 - Past
The Observatory started environmental radiation monitoring in 1961, including the measurement of radioactivity levels of air and rainwater samples at King's Park.
Picture of Exhibit 8 - Present
In the 1980s, the Observatory expanded its radiation monitoring activities to a full-scale Environmental Radiation Monitoring Programme in response to the establishment of the nuclear power plant at the nearby Daya Bay. Since 1988, the Observatory introduced the Mobile Radiation Monitoring Station for routine and emergency radiological surveys, facilitating the collection of environmental samples and measuring radiation levels at different locations.