Someone told me once the Moon controls the tides... Is it True?

Have you ever wondered why the ocean tides go in and out each day? The answer lies in the gravitational pull of the moon on the Earth. The moon’s gravitational force affects everything on Earth, from the water in the oceans to the land beneath our feet.

To understand how the moon influences the tides on Earth, we need to understand the concept of gravity. Gravity is a force that attracts two objects with mass towards each other. The amount of gravitational force between two objects depends on their mass and the distance between them. The larger the mass of an object, the greater the gravitational force it exerts.

The Moon and Earth exert a gravitational pull on each other. On Earth, the Moon’s gravitational pull causes the oceans to bulge out on both the side closest to the Moon and the side farthest from the Moon. These bulges create high tides. The low points are where low tides occur. Source: NASA

The moon has a significant mass, and it exerts a gravitational force on Earth. The force of the moon’s gravity pulls the water in the oceans towards it, creating a bulge in the ocean on the side of the Earth facing the moon. At the same time, the water on the opposite side of the Earth is also pulled towards the moon, creating a second bulge. This is why we experience two high tides and two low tides each day.

The Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth, combined with other, tangential forces, causes Earth’s water to be redistributed, ultimately creating bulges of water on the side closest to the Moon and the side farthest from the Moon. Source: NASA

The tides are further influenced by the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth rotates on its axis, the bulges created by the moon’s gravitational force move around the planet. This movement is what causes the tides to go in and out.

The Moon's gravity creates tidal bulges on Earth that cause the rising and falling of tides as the planet rotates through them. When our observer passes through the bulges, they see the tides rise, and when they pass through the low points, they see the tides fall. However, the Earth's surface isn't uniform, so the tides are also influenced by other factors like the presence of land masses, the Earth's shape, and the varying depths of the oceans. These additional elements affect the timing and height of the tides in different locations. Source: NASA

The gravitational pull of the sun also affects the tides, but the moon’s influence is much stronger. This is because the moon is much closer to the Earth than the sun, and its gravitational force is therefore more significant.

Every two weeks, when the Earth, Sun, and Moon align, their gravitational influence combines to create notably elevated tides, known as spring tides, and unusually low tides where the water has been displaced. When the Sun is perpendicular to the Moon, a moderate tide, called a neap tide, occurs. These tides appear to coincide with specific lunar phases since they happen when the Moon reaches certain locations in its orbit. This is because the Moon's gravitational force on the ocean varies depending on its position in its orbit relative to the Earth and the Sun. Source: NASA

The bulges created by the Moon's gravitational pull on Earth don't perfectly align with the Moon's position. Due to the Moon orbiting in the same direction as the Earth's rotation, it takes some extra time for a point on the Earth to rotate and be precisely beneath the Moon. As a result, the high tide bulges are always slightly ahead of the Moon, rather than directly aligned with it. Source: NASA

The distance between the Earth and the moon also plays a role in the tides. When the moon is closest to the Earth, its gravitational force is stronger, creating higher high tides and lower low tides. This phenomenon is known as a spring tide. Conversely, when the moon is farthest from the Earth, its gravitational force is weaker, creating lower high tides and higher low tides. This is known as a neap tide.

In conclusion, the moon’s gravitational force influences the tides on Earth. The tides are created by the gravitational pull of the moon on the water in the oceans, and their movement is influenced by the rotation of the Earth. Understanding how the moon affects the tides is not only fascinating, but it also has practical applications, such as predicting the timing and height of tides for activities such as fishing and boating.

Author: Jay Verne