What are tidal bulges?

Tidal bulges are like big, soft bumps that appear on Earth’s oceans because of the Moon’s pull.

Imagine you're holding a balloon filled with water. Now, someone gently pulls one side of the balloon, like the Moon pulling Earth, and the water moves toward that side, making a bulge. At the same time, the opposite side of the balloon also gets a little bump because the water is being pulled away from it. That’s what happens on Earth: the Moon's gravity makes two tidal bulges, one on the side facing the Moon and another on the far side.

The ocean is like that stretchy balloon. When the Moon pulls on it, water rises up in some places, creating high tides. In other places, the water goes down, making low tides. These rising and falling parts are the tidal bulges moving around Earth as the Moon orbits us.

So every day, the Moon helps shape the ocean like a gentle giant stretching and squeezing it, no magic needed!