5 December 2019

An annular solar eclipse will occur on December 26 (Thursday), but it will be visible as a partial solar eclipse in Hong Kong. As the elevation of the sun will be rather high during the eclipse, the event can be best observed at places with an unobstructed view towards the south to southwest if weather permits.



The eclipse will begin at 12.17pm and end at 3.22pm, with the maximum eclipse occurring at 1.55pm. This partial solar eclipse will have a magnitude of 0.46, meaning that 46 per cent of the sun's diameter will be obscured by the moon at maximum eclipse. The path of the sun and the moon during this partial solar eclipse is indicated in the Annex.



Details of the partial solar eclipse are set out in the following table:

Time Phenomenon Elevation Direction (Azimuth) 12.17pm Eclipse begins 44 degrees South

(178 degrees) 1.55pm Maximum eclipse 39 degrees South-southwest

(207 degrees) 3.22pm Eclipse ends 27 degrees Southwest

(226 degrees)

Members of the public should never look directly at the sun with the naked eye nor through a telescope to avoid severe eye damage. A safer method is to project the sun's image through a pinhole or a telescope onto a piece of white paper or cardboard and view the projected image. An illustration of the method is given on the website of the Hong Kong Observatory at www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/event/event-solar-eclps16.htm.



Members of the public can watch the whole event via a webcast to be jointly provided by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre (sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen), Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College and the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Solar Tower‧Camp on the following webpage: www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/event/webcast-20191226.htm.



For the latest weather conditions and the astronomical observation conditions on December 26, please refer to the nine-day weather forecast issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (www.hko.gov.hk/en/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm) and the Weather Information for Astronomical Observation webpage (www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/astronomy/astro_portal.html).



Please refer to the Hong Kong Observatory's webpage for a detailed explanation of the technical terms used for different stages of the eclipse and past solar eclipses observable in Hong Kong: www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/event/event-solar-eclps1.htm.



The next solar eclipse observable in Hong Kong will occur on June 21, 2020. It will be a partial solar eclipse.

Schematic diagram showing elevation and azimuth of the Sun and the Moon during the partial solar eclipse on December 26, 2019