Lunar Eclipse Set to Grace Skies Over the Americas

After being sidelined from this month’s total solar eclipse, the Americas will enjoy prime visibility for a lunar event. The Earth’s shadow will cover nearly 96% of the Moon’s surface, creating a deep partial eclipse from Thursday night to Friday.

NASA’s plans for the Moon continue to advance, following the Artemis II mission’s record-breaking lunar flyby in April. This mission paves the way for future landings and the establishment of a base on the lunar surface.

Astronaut Jack Hathaway voiced enthusiasm about these developments from the International Space Station, commenting on the ongoing momentum of the space program.

This event follows a solar eclipse that recently passed over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. Eclipses occur in pairs due to the precise alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, an astronomical coincidence allowing the smaller Moon to appear the same size as the distant Sun.

The upcoming lunar eclipse will captivate a broader audience than its solar predecessor. It will be viewable across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, provided the skies are clear.

Thousands of millions may witness the eclipse, including astronauts on the International Space Station and China’s orbital station. According to Commander Jessica Meir from the space station, space offers a unique vantage point for observing cosmic events.

Earth will cast a reddish-orange shadow on the Moon, though this partial eclipse won’t fully align to create a ‘blood moon.’ The partial phase will last over three hours, while the full eclipse duration spans 5 hours and 30 minutes. The peak will occur shortly after midnight Eastern Time in the U.S.

In America, nearly one billion people from the U.S., Canada, and Central and South America will enjoy the entire spectacle. Overall, more than three billion individuals, or 44% of the world population, might see at least part of the event.

The Moon will set during the eclipse in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, truncating the view there. In Hawaii, as well as the eastern Pacific and parts of northwest North America, the eclipse will be visible later.

This is the year’s second lunar eclipse and the fourth eclipse overall. A total lunar eclipse previously graced skies in March over the Americas, Australia, and eastern Asia. The next full lunar eclipse will not occur until New Year’s Eve 2028, primarily visible in Asia and Australia, with another for the Americas in 2029.

Note: This article is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Scientific Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Associated Press holds sole responsibility for its content.