What Causes the Tides and How Are They Related to the Moon?

The Moon pulls on Earth's oceans, making them rise and fall like a giant, slow-moving wave. When the Moon is close to a part of Earth, that area gets a high tide. On the opposite side, there’s also a high tide because Earth is being pulled toward the Moon. The areas in between get low tides.

What Makes This Happen?

The Moon's gravity is strong enough to tug on water, even though it's far away. It's like when you pull one end of a blanket, both ends move.

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Examples

The ocean gets high when the Moon is near, like a giant wave waiting for you.
When Earth turns, the other side of the planet also feels the Moon's pull, that’s another high tide.
Low tides happen in places between the two bulges, like when you’re halfway through a cycle.

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Categories: Science · tides,moon,gravity