Hong Kong Observatory 香港天文台
Agency overview
Formed	2 March 1883 [1]
Headquarters	Hong Kong Observatory, 134A Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Employees	287 (March 2008) [2]
Annual Budget	203. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 4m HKD (2008-09) [3]
Agency Executive	Mr CY Lam, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory
Website
www.hko.gov.hk

The Hong Kong Observatory Centenary Building

Hong Kong Observatory (Chinese: 香港天文台), known as the Royal Observatory (Chinese: 皇家香港天文台) before 1997, is a department of the Hong Kong Government. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( see pronunciation; conventional short The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in Hong Kong and provides other meteorological and geophysical services to meet the needs of the public and the shipping, aviation, industrial and engineering sectors.

Overview

The Observatory was established in 1883. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Early operations included meteorological and magnetic observations, a time service based on astronomical observations and a tropical cyclone warning service. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding

The Hong Kong Observatory was built in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Peninsula in 1883. Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀 or 尖沙嘴 often abbreviated as TST, also known as Tsim Tsui (尖咀 or 尖嘴 by local people is an urbanised area in the The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a Peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Observatory Road in Tsim Sha Tsui is so named based on this landmark. Observatory Road is one of the oldest road in Hong Kong, and has existed since 1883. The Observatory is now surrounded by skyscrapers as a result of rapid urbanization. A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable Building. There is no official definition or a precise cutoff height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing However, it remains unrelocated. As a result of high greenhouse gas emission, the reflection of sunlight off buildings and the surfaces of roads, as well as the reducing vegetation, the location suffers from the heat island effect. Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared An urban heat island ( UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas Consequently, average temperatures recorded by the Observatory saw a large increase from 1980 to 2005. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 2002, the Observatory opened its resource center on the 23rd Floor of the nearby Miramar Tower, where the public can buy the Hong Kong Observatory publications and access other meteorological information. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Buildings in the Observatory

The 1883 building

1883 Building

This building, built in 1883, is a rectangular two-storey plastered brick structure; it is characterised by arched windows and long verandas. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It now houses the office of the directorate and to serve as a centre of administration of the Observatory. ^[1]

The Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters

It is next to the 1883 Building; the Centenary Building, used as The Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters, was erected in 1983 as a commemoration of the centennial service of the Observatory. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) A century (from the Latin centum, meaning one hundred is One hundred consecutive Years Centuries are numbered ordinally (e ^[2]

Outreach activities and publicity

The Friends of the Observatory, an interest group set up in 1996 to help the Observatory to promote Hong Kong Observatory and its services to the public, provide science extension activities in relation to the works of the Observatory and foster communication between the Observatory and the public, now has more than 7,000 individual and family members in total. The Friends of the Observatory, an interest group was established in August 1996 by the Hong Kong Observatory. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Activities organized for the Friends of the Observatory include regular science lectures and visits to Observatory’s facilities. Newsletters (named 談天說地) were also published for members once every four months. Voluntary docents from this interest group lead a "HKO Guided Tour" to let the public who applied for visit in advance to visit the headquarter of the Observatory, and learn about the history, environment and meteorological science applied by the Observatory.

Young visitors at the Observatory

The Observatory regularly organizes visits for the secondary school students. Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes This outreach programme was extended to primary school students, the elderly and the community groups in the recent years. See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory Talks are also organised in primary school during the winter time, when the officials are less busy in the severe climate issues and watchouts. A roving exhibition for the public was also mounted in shopping malls in 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. To promote understanding of the services provided by the Observatory and their benefits to the community, over 50 press releases were issued and 7 media briefings were held in 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

References

See also

• Hong Kong Time
• Climate of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong rainstorm warning signals
• Hong Kong tropical cyclone warning signals

External links

• Official website