Partial lunar eclipse on 1 January
18 December 2009
A partial eclipse of the moon will occur on 1 January (Friday). In Hong Kong, even with good weather conditions, people will only see the moon darkened with just a small part eclipsed owing to the small magnitude of the eclipse.
The lunar eclipse will occur between 1.15am and 5.30am with maximum eclipse at 3.23am. The eclipse has an umbral magnitude of just 0.082, meaning that only 8.2% of the moon's diameter will enter the umbra (total shadow) of the earth at maximum eclipse. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the moon during the eclipse.
Details of the partial lunar eclipse are as follows:
The lunar eclipse will occur between 1.15am and 5.30am with maximum eclipse at 3.23am. The eclipse has an umbral magnitude of just 0.082, meaning that only 8.2% of the moon's diameter will enter the umbra (total shadow) of the earth at maximum eclipse. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the moon during the eclipse.
Details of the partial lunar eclipse are as follows:
|
Hong Kong Time |
Azimuth |
Elevation |
|
| Moon enters penumbra |
1.15am |
West-northwest |
77 degrees |
| Moon enters umbra |
2.52am |
West |
56 degrees |
| Maximum eclipse |
3.23am |
West-northwest |
49 degrees |
| Moon leaves umbra |
3.54am |
West-northwest |
42 degrees |
| Moon leaves penumbra |
5.30am |
West-northwest |
22 degrees |
The next lunar eclipse visible in Hong Kong will occur on 26 June, 2010. It will be more observable with a magnitude of 0.542.
Please refer to the Observatory's website for a detailed explanation of the technical terms used for different stages of the eclipse:
http://www.weather.gov.hk/gts/astron2010/lunar_eclipse_e.htm
Diagram: Partial eclipse of the moon on 1 January 2010