What Causes ‘Tides’ and Why Do They Happen Twice a Day?

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.

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.