A rare opportunity! Get up close and personal with museum-quality classic astronomical telescopes and astrolabes, bringing these antique artifacts to life!
🌝Professional Explanation X Guided Astronomy Tour🌞
A professional astronomy instructor will explain astronomical principles and stargazing methods during the event, covering topics from astronomy and geography to ancient and modern times. Participants can dress up and witness a significant historical moment, returning to 1609 AD, the year the telescope was invented…
🙌🏻Details of the Antique Telescopes🌙
This event will utilize genuine antique artifacts: two bronze telescopes manufactured in London, England, between the 18th and 19th centuries, for outdoor stargazing and astronomical observation in Hong Kong. One of the reflecting telescopes comes from the renowned London optical instrument manufacturer W. & S. Jones and was produced around the late 18th century.
The main reflective mirror assembly is made of the most advanced copper-tin alloy available at the time, equipped with a precision screw adjustment rod to ensure the collimation accuracy of the optical system. The telescope stand features an altazimuth-style design, allowing it to be placed on a table and adjusted for elevation and azimuth. The original wooden storage crate contains a dust cover, a finder scope, spare eyepieces, and other accessories.
⌛️A Century-Old Heritage Site: The Past of Observation and Timekeeping🔭
Built in 1907, the Tsim Sha Tsui Signal Tower (also known as the "Big Cake") is a light-colored red-brick building in the Edwardian style, facing the old Marine Police Headquarters' timekeeping tower and time sphere. On the outskirts of the empire, celestial phenomena were observed, and time was measured. Imagine a parallel universe, before Hong Kong was opened to trade, and the extraordinary adventures of missionaries and astronomers who came to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Around the full moon in early summer, a journey from the present to the past.
👀Event Details👣
Date: May 29, 2026 (Friday) (Lunar Calendar 13th)*
Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Signal Hill Garden, Tsim Sha Tsui
Fee: $380/person
Quota: 12 people, first come first served (Once the 12-person quota is full, you will be added to the waiting list. No prepayment is required. If someone cancels their spot, you will be contacted to register immediately.)
Language: Cantonese
Event Highlights:
- Enjoy a safe and hands-on experience with antique telescopes.
- Observe the moon, planets, and other celestial bodies through antique telescopes produced in the 18th and 19th centuries, and experience using a replica of a classic astrolabe. Participants can use their phones to take pictures of celestial images viewed through the antique telescopes.
- A professional astronomy instructor will teach astronomical history from basic to advanced levels and perform a historical mini-drama. Simple retro costumes will be provided for loan; participants are welcome to wear suits, dresses, or other formal attire to fully participate and capture historical images.
- Participants will receive a certificate for the historical artifact revitalization activity. Anyone interested in astronomy and history is welcome to participate. The recommended age is 10 years and above.
*If the weather is inclement on the day of the event, it will be postponed to the same time on the alternative date of May 30th. If the weather still does not improve, another Friday/Saturday/Sunday evening will be chosen. Those unable to attend a session other than May 29th can apply for a full refund and will be placed on the waiting list. If the 12-person limit is reached, the remaining applicants will be placed on the waiting list.