ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lunar standstill

Okay, so have you seen the moon in the sky at night? It's so cool, right? Well, sometimes the moon likes to do something special. You know how it moves across the sky from one side to the other? Well, sometimes it decides to stop for a little while, like a traffic jam but in the sky!

When the moon stops, it's called a lunar standstill. This happens because the moon's orbit around the Earth is a little bit tilted. So, sometimes it's high in the sky and sometimes it's low. When it's low, we call it a lunar standstill.

And why is this important? Well, it can have a big effect on the tides in the ocean. The moon affects the tides because it attracts the water with its gravity. So when the moon is in a standstill, the tides can be really high or really low, depending on where you are in the world.

It's a rare event, and it only happens once every 18.6 years! So if you see the moon looking extra big and bright in the sky, it might be because of a lunar standstill. And now you know why it happens and what it can affect! Pretty cool, right?