Professor Peter Yau Man-kong re-visited the Observatory to share his Pioneering Work in Satellite Signal Reception

3 September 2013

In 1966, a 20-year old young man in Hong Kong shocked the world by building a "scrap" system to receive signals from meteorological satellites, a cutting-edge technology at the time. The system, costing around 200 US dollars to assemble, comprised a used oil drum, some bricks and rubble, and a bunch of electronic components. Assisted by a watchman at the King's Park Meteorological Station, the young man was able to track moving satellites in orbits, generating cloud images that rivalled those in other countries with multi-million dollar equipment. This legendary story travelled across the oceans and was reported by newspapers in USA and meteorological magazines in UK. The "World Today" magazine, published in Hong Kong by the US Information Agency, even arranged a feature interview and compiled a two-page article to cover the story in detail. (Click on this link to see the original article in Chinese.)

The protagonist in the above story is Professor Peter Yau Man-kong. He worked as a Scientific Assistant at the Hong Kong Observatory back in 1966, before going to USA for master and doctoral degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At present, he is a professor at McGill University, Canada, specializing in cloud physics and tropical cyclones.

On 21 August, Professor Yau re-visited the Observatory to share his stories of innovation, as well as some latest research results. In concluding his talk, Professor Yau thanked the Observatory for giving him the opportunity to develop an interest in new technology and to work on new ideas when he was young. "Such enlightening experiences have brought motivation and rewards that shaped my career for the rest of my life", said Professor Yau.

Professor Peter Yau Man-kong (left) and Mr. Shun Chi-ming, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory (right), holding a framed copy of the feature article published in "World Today" magazine in 1966.

Professor Yau standing in front of the 1966 "World Today" magazine, one of the exhibits of the "Hong Kong Observatory - Under the Same Sky 130 Years" exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History.