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Moon watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2012

13 September 2012

The Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on 30 September (Sunday). To facilitate moon-watching by the public, the times 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.

29 September (Saturday)
Moonrise 5:30pm
Transit (Elevation 72 degrees) 11:46pm
Moonset
6:06am (next morning)
30 September (Sunday) (Mid-Autumn Festival)
Full Moon (The moon is below the horizon
of Hong Kong at this moment)
11:19am
Moonrise 6:07pm
Transit (Elevation 76 degrees) 0:31am (next morning)
Moonset 6:59am (next morning)
1 October (Monday) (The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival)
Moonrise 6:45pm
Transit (Elevation 80 degrees)
1:16am (next morning)
Moonset 7:51am (next morning)

Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Woo Wang-chun, said, "If the 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, 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 http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm.