NASA’s Artemis II mission points toward lunar landings and a base
The Americas will have the best views as the partial lunar eclipse unfolds Thursday night into Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Earth’s shadow will cover 96% of the lunar surface. Because the shadow will not cover the entire surface, the event will remain a partial lunar eclipse despite its depth.
The eclipse follows a total solar eclipse that crossed Greenland, Iceland and Spain two weeks earlier. The two events place lunar and solar eclipses close together in the recent skywatching calendar.
The event also comes as NASA’s Artemis II mission has focused attention on the Moon. NASA sent the Artemis II astronauts on a record-breaking lunar flyby in April.
NASA described the mission as a prelude to eventually landing on the Moon and building a base there with people and robots over the next several years.
NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway discussed the space program from the International Space Station last week. He said, “This is a great time to be part of the space program, right? We’re not slowing down.”