Tech & Sci
19:27, 01-Aug-2017
Hong Kong to see partial lunar eclipse next week
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The Hong Kong Observatory said on Monday that a partial lunar eclipse will occur in Hong Kong in the late evening of August 7 and last until the morning of August 8.
A lunar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon which occurs when the moon enters in the umbra, or shadow of the earth, making part of or the whole moon cannot be illuminated by the sun, observers on the earth then unable to see a full moon.
It takes place when the sun, earth, and the moon are exactly or closely in alignment with earth in the middle.
A moment during a total lunar eclipse on April 4 in Kunming city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. /Xinhua Photo
A moment during a total lunar eclipse on April 4 in Kunming city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. /Xinhua Photo
The eclipse will start at 11:48 p.m. (local time) and end at 4:53 a.m. the next morning, with the maximum eclipse occurring at 2:21 a.m., during which, the observatory said, a quarter of the moon's diameter will enter into the total shadow of the earth.
It will be best observed at places with an unobstructed view to the horizon to the south and southwest.
The eclipse will be webcast live on the observatory's website, jointly provided by several institutions including the Hong Kong Observatory and the Hong Kong Space Museum.
The next lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will be a total lunar eclipse on January 31.
(With input from Xinhua)
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