Imagine the ocean is like a big ball that gets pulled by two friends, the Moon and the Sun. When one friend pulls, part of the ocean goes up (that's a high tide), and when they let go, it goes down (low tide). Since the Moon orbits Earth every day, we get two tides each day, one from the pull, and one from the push.
Why twice a day?
The Moon pulls on Earth’s oceans as it moves around us. When you're facing the Moon, there's a high tide. On the opposite side of Earth, there's another high tide because gravity is weaker there, like when you're far away from your friend, and they don’t pull you as much.
Examples
- You're on a beach at sunrise, and the water starts coming up, that's the first tide. An hour later, you see it recede, that's the second one!
- Imagine your friend pulls you forward (high tide), but when they move away, you feel like you’re being pushed back (low tide).
- If you live near a river, you might notice water levels changing twice each day, like two waves coming and going.
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See also
- What Causes the ‘Tides’ and How High Can They Get?
- What Causes ‘Tides’ in the Ocean and How Do They Change?
- What Causes the Tides and How Are They Measured?
- How Does Gravity Affect the Tides?
- What Causes the Tides and How Are They Connected to the Moon?
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