Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon in Hong Kong on 9 November 2003

A total eclipse of the moon will occur on Sunday, 9 November 2003. However, the event will only be visible as a penumbral eclipse in Hong Kong. Weather permitting, the penumbral eclipse can be observed by local residents for a short time interval before the moonset that morning.

The so-called "penumbral eclipse" means that the moon only passes through the penumbra (partial shadow) of the earth's shadow without entering the umbra (total shadow). During the event, the moon will only become slightly dimmer.

The moon will enter penumbra at 6:15 a.m. Hong Kong Time on the day of the eclipse. Since the time of moonset in Hong Kong on that day is 6:29 a.m., the penumbral eclipse will only be visible for around 14 minutes. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the moon during the eclipse.

Details of the eclipse are as follows:

	Hong KongTime	AzimuthDirection	Elevation(Degrees)
Moonrise	5:18 p.m. (8 November)	East-northeast	0^o
Moon enters penumbra	6:15 a.m. (9 November)	West-northwest	3^o
Moonset	6:29 a.m. (9 November)	West-northwest	0^o
Moon enters umbra	7:32 a.m. (9 November)	West-northwest	-13^o
Total eclipse begins	9:06 a.m. (9 November)	Northwest	-31^o
Middle of eclipse	9:19 a.m. (9 November)	Northwest	-33^o
Total eclipse ends	9:31 a.m. (9 November)	Northwest	-35^o
Moon leaves umbra	11:05 a.m. (9 November)	North-northwest	-48^o
Moon leaves penumbra	12:22 p.m. (9 November)	North	-51^o

The best places to observe the eclipse will be those with unobstructed view to the west-northwest such as Tai O and Tai Mo Shan.

The next lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will occur on 5 May 2004. It will be a total eclipse of the moon.

Please refer to the Hong Kong Observatory website for detailed explanation of the technical terms used to describe different stages of the eclipse:

http://www.weather.gov.hk/gts/astron2003/lunar_eclipse_e.htm

Penumbral eclipse of the moon in Hong Kong on 9 November 2003