The total lunar eclipse and the lunar occultation of Uranus next Tuesday will be live-streamed by the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, allowing stargazers to witness the two major astrological events online.
The total lunar eclipse will be live-streamed by the Space Museum on its YouTube channel during the lunar occultation of Uranus on the Facebook page of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The total lunar eclipse, which will begin at 6.16pm, occurs when the moon falls entirely within the earth's umbra. The subsequent lunar occultation of Uranus at 6.58pm happens as the moon passes in front of Uranus.
“The reason why it is so rare for these two events to occur together, is because it requires the Sun, the Earth, the Moon and Uranus to lie almost on a perfectly straight line,” the Space Museum said.
The probability of these two events happening on the same day is even rarer, and Hong Kong is one of the most apt places to observe this upcoming astrological event.
The Space Museum recommends that the public view the events in locations without obstacles, such as the Central and Western District Promenade, Avenue of Stars, Pak Shek Kok Promenade, etc.
However, due to the relatively low brightness of Uranus, the lunar occultation can only be viewed through a telescope.
The next time two astrological events happen at the same time in Hong Kong would be 4,862 years later.
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