Looming weather gloom may doom red moon

A RED moon will hang in the southeast sky tonight as Hong Kong witnesses its longest total lunar eclipse in 140 years - if the weather co-operates.

Last night the Observatory said an approaching tropical depression could cause clouds to block the view. The No 1 tropical storm warning was raised at 2.45pm yesterday.

The eclipse begins at 9.02pm as the moon passes into the Earth's shadow, with the sun, Earth and moon aligning for an hour and 47 minutes. The moon is not completely blacked out during an eclipse, as it is reached by small amounts of sunlight refracted by the Earth's atmosphere, illuminating the moon with a coppery glow.

But an Observatory spokesman said: 'It is difficult to say whether we will see the eclipse or not . . . we forecast it will be mainly cloudy with scattered showers.' Last night the tropical depression was 620km south of Hong Kong and moving northwest at 15km/h.

Should the skies stay clear the eclipse should be visible from most of Hong Kong. Telescopes will be set up from 7.30pm to 11pm by local astronomical organisations on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront behind the Museum of Art.

The president of the Sky Observers' Association, Wong Hin-san, said: 'The moon should rise right over the waterfront of North Point. There's no need to go to the seashore.' Tonight's eclipse would be the longest since August 13, 1859, Observatory scientific officer Leung Yin-kong said.