Home Culture Moon-watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2023

Moon-watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2023

Mid-Autumn_Festival_celebration_in_Hong Kong
Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Hong Kong. illustratio by HKpinoyTV

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
Moonrise5.38 pm
Transit (elevation 63 degrees)11.39 pm
Moonset5.46 am (next morning)
September 29 (Friday) – Mid-Autumn Festival
Full moon (the moon is below the horizon of Hong Kong at this moment)5.57 pm
Moonrise6.16 pm
Transit (elevation 70 degrees)0.30 am (next morning)
Moonset6.49 am (next morning)
September 30 (Saturday) – the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival
Moonrise6.54 pm
Transit (elevation 77 degrees)1.20 am (next morning)
Moonset7.52 am (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 conditions 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.