The night sky on the night of the Hong Kong handover — 1 July 1997
At midnight between 30 June and 1 July 1997, in a ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the British flag was lowered and sovereignty over Hong Kong passed to the People's Republic of China, ending more than 150 years of British rule. Prince Charles and Chinese President Jiang Zemin attended, and the last governor, Chris Patten, sailed away on the royal yacht Britannia.
The sky over Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
This is the real sky above Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong (22.28°N, 114.17°E) on 1 July 1997 at 00:00 HKT (UTC+8) — the moment of the handover (1997-06-30 16:00 UTC). The Sun was 44° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning crescent, 18% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (27° in the south-east) and Mars (1° in the west). Brightest named stars up: Arcturus, Vega, Altair, Spica and Antares.
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