Look to the eastern sky, and a clear horizon will show you a unusual, grinning planet alignment with the crescent moon.

Stargazers who turn their eyes skyward — and use a little bit of imagination — will have a chance to spot a rare “smiley face” in space later this month.

Emojis are today an essential component of global languages. To an extent, they have the cross-cultural privilege of communicating emotions and feelings (and other things) without requiring a lot of ...