Moon watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2010

8 September 2010

The Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on 22 September (Wednesday). To facilitate moon-watching by the public, the time of moonrise, transit and moonset during the Mid-Autumn Festival period are given below. During transit, the moon passes the local meridian in the south and the elevation is the highest of the night.

21 September (Tuesday)

	Moonrise	at 4:58pm
	Transit (Elevation 63 degrees)	at 10:59pm
	Moonset	at 5:04am (next morning)

22 September (Wednesday) (Mid-Autumn Festival)

	Moonrise	at 5:30pm
	Transit (Elevation 68 degrees)	at 11:39pm
	Moonset	at 5:52am (next morning)

23 September (Thursday)

	Full Moon (below the horizon of Hong Kong)	at 5:17pm
	Moonrise	at 6:02pm
	Transit (Elevation74 degrees)	at 0:20am (next morning)
	Moonset	at 6:42am (next morning)

Scientific Officer of the Observatory, Mr Woo Wang-chun, said, "If weather permits, a bright and clear moon can be observed from open space in all districts during the period. Although the moonrise occurs after the full moon (i.e. when the moon and the sun are located on opposite sides of the Earth, see attached diagram), the brightness of the moon will not diminish after the moonrise and moon-watching will not be affected."

For the weather during the Mid-Autumn Festival period, please refer to the "7-day Weather Forecast" issued by the Hong Kong Observatory at the following website: http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm

Positions of the sun, the earth and the moon at full moon
(The above diagram is for illustrative purpose only. Sizes and distances of the sun, the earth and the moon are not drawn to scale.)