HONG KONG, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A total lunar eclipse will occur at night on Dec. 10 and will be visible in Hong Kong if the weather is fine, the Hong Kong Observatory said Thursday.
Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory Woo Wang-chun said, "The duration of the whole process (from the moon entering the penumbra to leaving the penumbra) will last six hours, the longest period of lunar eclipse visible in Hong Kong since the year 2000."
"As the elevation of the moon will be rather high during the eclipse, most places with an unobstructed view to the east are suitable for viewing the event. If the weather is fine, the conditions will be very favorable for viewing the eclipse."
He added, "The moon will not completely disappear but will appear coppery-red in color during totality. This is because sunlight scattered or refracted by the Earth's atmosphere will be projected onto the moon."
A webcast of the event, covering the time the moon enters the umbra until it leaves, will be jointly provided by the Hong Kong Observatory and the Hong Kong Space Museum.
Additionally, the Hong Kong Space Museum will organize an observation activity titled the "Night of Total Lunar Eclipse".
Chan Ki-hung, the curator of the Space Museum, said the public will have the opportunity to observe the total lunar eclipse with telescopes and various kinds of astronomical instruments under the guidance of Space Museum staff.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the next lunar eclipse potentially observable in Hong Kong will occur on June 4, 2012, which will be a partial eclipse.
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