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 the Americas will have the best seats in the celestial house when Earth’s shadow briefly envelops the moon. Almost the entire lunar surface will be masked Thursday night into Friday — a whopping 96 percent — making this an especially deep partial eclipse.

The moon is already in the spotlight. NASA sent the 

 on a record-breaking lunar flyby in April, the prelude to eventually landing on the surface and building a base swarming with people and robots over the next several years.

“This is a great time to be part of the space program, right? We’re not slowing down,” NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway told The Associated Press from the International Space Station last week.

It’s the second act of the greatest show in the solar system, coming two weeks after a 

Eclipses always travel in pairs as the sun, moon and Earth align so precisely that one obscures the other. That’s because the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, which is 400 times farther away, making them appear the same size — a cosmic coincidence and gift from the universe.

Unfolding at a more leisurely pace, the upcoming lunar eclipse will have a much bigger audience than Europe's solar show. The eclipsed moon will be visible to billions across North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, provided the skies are clear.

The lunar eclipse may also be visible to Hathaway and the nine other people living off the planet — seven astronauts at the International Space Station and three aboard China’s orbiting outpost.

Space provides a “unique perspective” for viewing cosmic wonders like 

, said the space station's commander, Jessica Meir.

In this case, Earth will pass between the moon and the sun, casting a reddish-orange shadow onto our closest neighbor. Because this is a partial eclipse, the lineup won’t be perfect and it won’t be a true blood moon. The partial phase of the eclipse will last more than three hours. But the entire eclipse, from the time the full moon enters the faintest, outermost edge of Earth’s shadow until it leaves, will stretch 5.5 hours.

The eclipse will peak just after 11 p.m. CDT, with the eclipse spanning from around 9:33 p.m. to 12:51 a.m. Friday.

Nearly 1 billion people in the U.S., Canada, and Central and South America will have front-row views for the entire eclipse. More than 3 billion people — 44 percent of the world’s population — will be in position to catch at least part of it.

The eclipsed moon will be setting in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, cutting the show short. It will be rising in Hawaii, getting the eastern Pacific off to a late start along with northwestern sections of the U.S. and Canada.

This is the year’s second lunar eclipse and the fourth eclipse overall. A total lunar eclipse graced the skies over the Americas, Australia and eastern Asia in March.

The next complete lunar blackout won’t be until New Year’s Eve 2028, with Asia and Australia at center stage. And it will be 2029 before stargazers across North and South America are treated to another full eclipse of the moon.

MPR News Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey contributed to this report.

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It's the moon's turn to pull a disappearing act. After being shut out of this month's total solar eclipse, the Americas will have the best seats when Earth's shadow briefly envelops the moon.

Near-total lunar eclipse is coming up with the Americas in prime position

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