The Half Moon

This week’s half Moon will appear unusually low in the sky—so low it might be hidden behind the trees. It sits far below its usual path due to the Moon’s wobbling orbit, which currently aligns with Earth’s tilt. This rare positioning, part of a cycle called the Lunar Standstill, places the Moon near the constellation Scorpius and its bright star Antares. Its light, filtered through thick atmosphere, may appear honey-colored and cast moonbeams at odd angles into places that rarely see moonlight. Look south to see this striking celestial oddity.

The moon now has its strangest appearance. Several nights this week the moon will be in a lunar phase, the only one whose shape is not universally known. Everyone can identify a crescent or half or the full moon. But now we have a gibbous moon. That's the phase fatter than half but smaller than full.

The mayors of the tri-cities are on board of an initiative to try to keep the Half Moon replica ship docked locally on the Hudson River.Built in 1989 by…