Hong Kong Observatory

The Hong Kong Observatory is the government's meteorological department, headquartered on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Since 1883 it has tracked typhoons, issued weather and hazard warnings, and watched over the skies above one of Asia's busiest harbours.

About Hong Kong Observatory

The Observatory forecasts weather, issues warnings on weather-related hazards, monitors radiation levels across Hong Kong, and supplies meteorological and geophysical services to the public as well as the shipping, aviation and industrial sectors. It now sits under the Environment and Ecology Bureau and employs around 315 staff, on an annual budget of roughly HK$381.4 million as of the 2019-20 financial year. The current Director, Dr. Chan Pak-wai, took up the post in March 2023.

History

The Observatory was founded in 1883 under Governor Sir George Bowen, with William Doberck appointed as its first director. It received a Royal Charter in 1912, and after the 1997 transfer of sovereignty it dropped the word Royal from its name, becoming simply the Hong Kong Observatory. Its original 1883 headquarters building at 134A Nathan Road has been a declared monument of Hong Kong since 1984.

Location & getting there

The Observatory sits in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon peninsula, in the heart of Hong Kong's harbourside district, easily reached from the city's MTR network and surrounded by museums, shops and waterfront promenades.

Visiting Hong Kong Observatory

As a working government meteorological headquarters rather than a public stargazing site, access and any open-house arrangements are best confirmed on the Observatory's official website before you travel.

See your named star from here

Hong Kong Observatory tracks the sky for weather, not stars, but the coordinates on any star-naming certificate can be pointed to by a telescope anywhere on Earth. Browse the star catalogue to see how your named star's position translates to the night sky above Kowloon.