What causes the tides on Earth?

The tides on Earth are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth’s oceans. The Moon exerts the strongest influence, pulling the water in the oceans toward it, creating a bulge on the side of the Earth closest to the Moon. On the opposite side, another bulge occurs due to the centrifugal force created by the Earth-Moon system’s rotation. The Sun’s gravitational pull also affects tides, but its effect is weaker than the Moon’s. The alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun during new and full moons causes particularly high or low tides, known as spring tides.