Moon watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2023

     The Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on September 29 (Friday) and the full moon (Note) will occur near sunset that day. If weather permits, a bright and round moon will be observable at night during the Mid-Autumn Festival period.
 
     To facilitate moon watching by the public, the times of moonrise, transit, moonset and full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival period are listed in the table. At transit, the moon passes the local meridian, reaching its highest elevation for the night due south.
 

September 28 (Thursday) – the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Moonrise 5.38pm
Transit (elevation 63 degrees) 11.39pm
Moonset 5.46am (next morning)
September 29 (Friday) – Mid-Autumn Festival
Full moon (the moon is below the horizon of Hong Kong at this moment) 5.57pm
Moonrise 6.16pm
Transit (elevation 70 degrees) 0.30am (next morning)
Moonset 6.49am (next morning)
September 30 (Saturday) – the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival
Moonrise 6.54pm
Transit (elevation 77 degrees) 1.20am (next morning)
Moonset 7.52am (next morning)

     Please refer to the 9-day Weather Forecast issued by the Hong Kong Observatory and the Weather Information for Astronomical Observation webpage for the latest weather conditions and the astronomical observation condition during the Mid-Autumn Festival period to plan moon-watching activities.
 
Note: At full moon, the moon is completely illuminated as seen from the Earth, with the moon and the sun located on the opposite sides of the Earth.