A partial lunar eclipse will take place in Hong Kong on 29 October 2023 (Sunday). This will be the only partial lunar eclipse phenomenon observable in Hong Kong this year. During the event, the Moon will gradually grow dimmer and a small portion of it will disappear. The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 3:35 am and at 4:14 am, it will reach the maximum eclipse, with about 12.8% of the Moon’s diameter entering the Earth’s umbra. The eclipse will end at 4:54am when the Moon exits the umbra completely, during which the Moon’s altitude will range between 20 degrees and 40 degrees. It is possible to observe the eclipse from any district in Hong Kong as long as the view is unobstructed by buildings. Interested observers are advised to choose a location with a wide view to the west, such as waterfront promenades or parks in various districts.

The Hong Kong Space Museum will live-stream the partial lunar eclipse via its YouTube channel from 2-5 am on 29 October.

Type: Partial lunar eclipse
Magnitude: 0.128
Main Visible Area: Asia, Europe, Africa

When the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are aligned, the Moon will enter the Earth's shadow, resulting in a lunar eclipse. Depending on how the Moon comes in contact with the Earth's shadow, lunar eclipses can be divided into three types, namely the penumbral eclipse, partial eclipse and total eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the Moon enters the penumbra of the Earth; whereas a partial lunar eclipse happens when only part of the Moon enters the Earth's umbra. When the Moon enter the Earth's umbra completely, a total lunar eclipse results.

These two images were taken during the phase of the penumbral lunar eclipse before the partial lunar eclipse on 7 August, 2017. The image on the left was taken 1 hour before the partial eclipse. The image on the right was taken 10 minutes before the partial eclipse. The penumbral lunar eclipse is not obvious at its early stage. When the partial eclipse approaches, it can be seen easily that the surface of the Moon is dimmer.