How the Moon Moves the Ocean

Have you ever wondered why the ocean seems to rise and fall throughout the day? This regular movement is called the tide, and it's mostly caused by the Moon's gravity. Even though the Moon is far away, its pull on Earth is strong enough to move entire oceans.

The Moon’s gravity pulls on the Earth's water. As the Moon orbits our planet, it creates a bulge in the ocean on the side closest to it. This bulge is what we see as high tide. But here’s the interesting part — there’s another high tide on the opposite side of the Earth. That happens because the Moon’s gravity pulls Earth slightly away from the water on the far side, creating a second bulge.

As the Earth spins, different areas pass through these bulges, causing the tide to go in and out. Most coastal places experience two high tides and two low tides each day. The Sun also has a gravitational effect on the tides, but it’s less powerful than the Moon’s because it's farther away. When the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up (during full moon or new moon), we get especially high and low tides, called spring tides.

The Moon doesn’t just light up the night sky — it helps keep our oceans moving, our coastlines alive, and marine life in balance. It’s an invisible hand stirring the sea every single day.