Moon and Tides
Science
The Moon and Tides
A bright room which seems so big and magical in the night sky. Can affect our thoughts and emotions. The earth nearly four times the moon's diameter. Clearly leads the dance. But the moon in turn has important influences on earth. Let's look closer at the moon and its partner earth is a sweet through time and space together. There is no other place in space we know as well as the moon. Its close enough we can study a number of features with unaided eyes, and lots of details with a modest telescope. And more than that, the moon is the only place in space where humans have set foot. In a history broke journey on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped from the Apollo 11 lunar lander on to the moon's surface. And one small step for man. But by the end of the.
Year this trip, plus the 5 that followed over the next three years, brought back samples of moon rocks and dust and some out of this world experiences. It is eternity scared to back in to break loose just like on so. Come on back, John. One of the moon's most noticeable effects on earth is ocean tides. Tides are the regular rise and fall of the ocean's level. In the open ocean the high tide raises the water level about three feet, or one meter over the low tide. Along coast, tide levels vary because of coastline shape. In particular, shallow bays concentrate water into a small area, an increased tide height. The world's highest tides, reaching nearly 45 feet or 15 meters, occur in the bay of fundy. On Canada's east coast.
The moon creates tides through the pull of its gravity. This pool is not enough to affect the earth's crust much, but it's enough to cause a distinct bulge to the ocean. The high tide ocean bulge always stays with the moon as the moon travels around the earth without once a month. Meanwhile, earth rapidly rotates once a day below. From high above the North Pole, we can compare the progress of the high tide to the rotating earth. We also can see a second ocean bulge on the backside of the earth.
This is water less affected by the moon's gravity because it is farther away from the moon. When this backside bulge passes by, it creates a second high tide for the day. So every day, ocean coasts have two high tides and two low tides. The time at which high tides occur change slightly every day. Remember, as the earth spins, the moon moves in its orbit around earth. So by the time this point on earth circles around again 24 hours later, the moon is moved ahead to over here. High tide at this point will have to wait until the earth catches up with the moon. Roughly 50 minutes later.