Why does the Moon have bigger effects on tide than the Sun?
2 Answers
The moon is closer.
Explanation:
The sun may have a mass that is 4 million times greater, but the moon is thousands of miles closer. Ergo, the moon affects the tides more than the sun.
The Moon is much closer to the Earth which causes a bigger effect on tides.
Explanation:
The Sun is much more massive than the Moon and it is also 150,000,00km away. The Sun's gravity is also much stronger than that of the Moon. Gravity strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance apart. This means that the gravity strength on the side of the Earth facing the Sun is not much different to that on the side facing away.
The Moon is only about 400,000km from the Earth. This means that the Moon's pull on the oceans facing it is stronger thank on the rest causing high tides. There are also high tides on the other side of the Earth to the Moon to counterbalance the high tides facing the Moon.
The Sun's gravity also has an effect on tides. This is most noticeable twice a month when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in alignment. This causes higher tides known as spring tides. The term spring doesn't refer to the season, it refers to spring meaning jumping up.
