How Does the Moon Affect the Tides on Earth?

The moon pulls on Earth's oceans like a giant magnet. When the moon is close, it tugs the water toward it, making high tide. When it moves away, low tide happens. It’s like when you pull one side of a rope, the other side gets left behind.

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Examples

A little boy pulls a rope, one side goes up, the other goes down.
When you swim near the beach at sunrise, the water feels higher than it does at night.
The ocean swells like a wave as the moon comes over the horizon.

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Categories: Physics · tides,gravity,moon,oceanography