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Connor Mycroft

Skygazers in Hong Kong flocked to Salisbury Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui despite showers and cloudy weather on Thursday afternoon to catch a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse.
Taking place between 12.34pm and 1.16pm, the eclipse was only expected to cover about 2.8 per cent of the sun from Hong Kong’s perspective during the peak of the event.
While skygazers in the city were unable to see it, those in parts of Australia, Timor-Leste and Indonesia were able to witness the once-in-a-decade “hybrid eclipse”.
The rare celestial event is a total solar eclipse that shifts to become an annular, or “ring of fire”.
Hong Kong to experience rare partial solar eclipse for first time in 3 years
A steady crowd of people stopped by a viewing room set up by the Hong Kong Space Museum, with more than two dozen sticking around to catch a live stream of the astronomical event, complete with footage and data from across the world.
Astronomy fans in the city did not let an obscured view from the ground get them down and said they were content to watch it on the big screen.
Cherry Wong Lee Yuen-sze, a 40-year-old homemaker, said she gave her son, Charlton, an “extra day of holiday” so that the five-year-old astronomy fan could see it all for himself.
“He was hoping we would be able to see it, but unfortunately we were not lucky enough today,” she said.
But Charlton said he was still excited to watch the full solar eclipse via the live stream since it was his first time seeing it.
According to the EarthSky astronomy organisation based in the United States, there will only be seven hybrid eclipses this century.
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Secondary school student Rondo Ma, 12, echoed his fellow skygazer’s sentiment. His mother, Janice Chan Hoi-shan, took him to Salisbury Garden to catch the broadcast.
Ma said he was also looking forward to visiting the nearby Space Museum with his mum after the eclipse.
“He’s just so interested in astronomy, so we wanted to come by anyway,” Chan said.
Tourists Alexey Zelivianski, 30, and Jaime Sokolowicz, 26, said they had stopped by out of curiosity, having just arrived in the city on Wednesday from the Philippines, where they were told the eclipse was more visible.
“I was like, ‘oh man why did we leave’,” Zelivianski said but added it was “cool” that the Space Museum had set up a viewing area for the public.
Dr So Chu-wing, the museum’s assistant curator, oversaw the broadcast and gave a detailed breakdown of the eclipse.

The museum also set up informative displays and two Sunspotter telescopes, which allowed for safe viewing of the eclipse by projecting the image using three mirrors.
Hong Kong last witnessed a partial solar eclipse on June 21, 2020, when up to 89 per cent of the sun was obscured by the moon.
The museum has said there will not be a total solar eclipse visible to the city for the rest of the century.
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Separately, Hong Kong’s community of 300,000 Muslims celebrating Ramadan also looked up at the cloudy skies hoping to catch a glimpse of a crescent moon signalling the end of the faith’s holiest month.
Muslims around the world fast during Ramadan, which runs for 29 or 30 days, depending on when communities in each country first see the Shawwal, or crescent moon, the day before.
Ali Mahomed, the honourable secretary of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, said Ramadan would likely run until Saturday, the 30th day, regardless of the cloudy weather, since the lunar phases meant even skygazers in locations such as Malaysia and Saudi Arabia were not expected to see the moon at that point.


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Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong skygazers gather in Tsim Sha Tsui for glimpse of once-in-decade ‘hybrid eclipse’, despite poor visibility

Residents try to catch a glimpse of Thursday’s partial eclipse. Photo: Sam Tsang

Dr So Chu-wing, the Space Museum’s assistant curator, talks to astronomy fans about Thursday’s solar eclipse. Photo: Connor Mycroft

Total solar eclipse another reason to visit Exmouth in Western Australia, home to the Unesco-recognised Ningaloo Reef

An emu in the Cape Range National Park, near Exmouth, Western Australia. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

Exmouth, known for its beautiful beaches, Cape Range National Park and the Ningaloo Reef, will be an ideal place to see the total solar eclipse on April 20. Turquoise Bay, Exmouth. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

Tourists return from a sea kayaking tour of the Ningaloo Reef, with Exmouth Adventure. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

A turtle swimming in the Ningaloo Marine Park. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

An aerial view of Charles Knife Gorge, Cape Range National Park, Western Australia. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

Rare partial solar eclipse to grace Hong Kong’s skies next Thursday for first time in 3 years

A partial solar eclipse seen from Tsim Sha Tsui in 2016. Photo: Dickson Lee

Residents wearing solar viewers check out a partial solar eclipse at the Kwun Tong Promenade in 2020. Photo: Sam Tsang 

News

Hong Kong

Society

Hong Kong Space Museum broadcasts live footage of hybrid eclipse so locals can get better view as clouds obscure visibility
Budding astronomer, aged five, expresses excitement at first chance to watch full solar eclipse thanks to museum


Hong Kong Space Museum broadcasts live footage of hybrid eclipse so locals can get better view as clouds obscure visibility.


Space

East Timor

Hong Kong skygazers gather in Tsim Sha Tsui for glimpse of once-in-decade ‘hybrid eclipse’, despite poor visibility

Hong Kong Space Museum broadcasts live footage of hybrid eclipse so locals can get better view as clouds obscure visibility Budding astronomer, aged five, expresses excitement at first chance to watch full solar eclipse thanks to museum

Hong Kong Space Museum broadcasts live footage of hybrid eclipse so locals can get better view as clouds obscure visibility

Budding astronomer, aged five, expresses excitement at first chance to watch full solar eclipse thanks to museum