What causes the tides?

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun on Earth’s oceans. As the Moon orbits Earth, its gravitational pull creates bulges in the ocean, one on the side facing the Moon and another on the opposite side. These bulges result in high tides. As Earth rotates, different areas pass through these bulges, experiencing high and low tides. The Sun’s gravity also influences tides, but its effect is weaker than that of the Moon. When the Sun and Moon align during a new or full moon, their combined gravity causes spring tides, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides.