Penumbral eclipse of the moon on Sunday

Penumbral eclipse of the moon on Sunday (19 April 2005)

A penumbral eclipse of the moon will occur on April 24 (Sunday). Weather permitting, the penumbral eclipse can be observed by local residents after moonrise that evening.

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 become only slightly dimmer.

The penumbral eclipse will occur between 3.50 pm and 8 pm Hong Kong Time and last for around four hours. However, since the time of moonrise in Hong Kong on that day is 6.46 pm, the penumbral eclipse will be visible only for around 1 hour and 14 minutes. Please refer to the attached diagram for the path of the moon during the eclipse.

Details of the eclipse are as follows:

	HK Time	Azimuth Direction	Elevation (Degrees)
Moon enters penumbra	3.50 pm(April 24)	East	-39
Middle of eclipse	5.55 pm(April 24)	East	-11
Moonrise	6.46 pm(April 24)	East-southeast	0
Moon leaves penumbra	8.00 pm(April 24)	East-southeast	15

The best places to observe the eclipse will be those with unobstructed view to the east-southeast such as Shek O, Sai Kung, etc.

The next lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will occur on October 17, 2005. It will be a partial eclipse.

Penumbral eclipse of the moon on 24 April 2005