What happens when the Moon and the Sun line up with Earth?

When the Moon and the Sun line up with Earth, it causes tides to get really strong or even super strong, like when you’re playing with water in a big pool.

Imagine Earth is like a ball that's partly covered in water. The Sun pulls on this water a little bit, just like how your friend might pull you when you're playing tug-of-war. The Moon also pulls on the water, but it’s closer, so its pull is stronger, like when your little brother pulls you too.

Now, if both the Moon and the Sun are pulling in the same direction, say, from the same side of Earth, their pulls add up. This makes the tides really high, almost like a big splash in the ocean. We call this a spring tide because it’s like the tides "spring" up high.

But sometimes, the Moon and the Sun pull in opposite directions, like when your friend pulls you left and your brother pulls you right. This makes the tides not as high, almost like they’re taking a little nap. We call this a neap tide, because it’s more relaxed and “neaps” up gently.

So depending on where the Moon and Sun are, Earth gets either big splashes or gentle ripples in its oceans, just like different kinds of waves at the beach!