Relationship Between Moon Phases and Tides: Everything You Should Know

Ocean tides would have never appeared on Earth without the Moon’s gravitational pull. That’s an undeniable fact. Also, different moon phases affect the tides differently. Check out this article to learn about the relationship between moon phases and tides and the effects of the moon on tides.

How are the moon phases and tides connected?

Different Phases of the Moon

The Moon’s gravitational pull is one of the significant factors causing the tides on Earth. It takes the Moon 27.32 days to complete one orbit around the Earth. 

However, it takes the Moon about 29.5 days to complete one full cycle of phases—from a New Moon to a New Moon. During these 29.5 days or the moon’s full cycle of phases, it goes through 8 major phases. 

The moon’s phase is the position of the Moon relative to the Sun and Earth. In other words, Moon phases are angles of the moon to the Earth. 

8 major phases of the Moon

There are 4 primary Moon phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Third Quarter. 

In addition, there are also 4 intermediate phases, including Waxing Crescent Moon, Waxing Gibbous Moon, Waning Gibbous Moon, and Waning Crescent Moon. 

The phases throughout 29.5 days from new Moon to new Moon always follow one another in a fixed order: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter (or Last Quarter), and Waning Crescent. 

Here are the 8 moon phases and their shapes that can be seen from Earth.

Relationship Between Moon Phases and Tides

The water level in bays, gulfs, inlets, and seas naturally rises and falls during tides. They are a direct consequence of Earth's pull to the moon. 

The earth's oceans bulge due to the moon's gravity, with one bulge on the side facing the moon and a smaller pull on the side facing away from it. 

These bulges cause high tides. At every point on Earth, there are two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes.

The tides on Earth result from the Earth’s rotation on its axis

High tides

High tide occurs in the regions facing and away from the moon due to the tidal bulges the moon creates.

Although the strength of the high tide varies depending on the time of year and the shape of the shoreline, it is generally higher on the side of the earth facing the moon than it is on the side facing away from it. 

Every region on Earth gets two high tides, spaced around 12 hours and 25 minutes apart.

Low tides

High tides vs low tides

When an area is neither facing the moon nor away from it, it experiences low tide. Ocean levels recede in certain areas during this period due to tidal bulges occurring in various locations. 

Season and coastal shape affect how severe a low tide is. Low tides produce high and low tides periodically, every 12 hours and 25 minutes.

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Spring tides

The moon's phase also influences the strength of the tides. The sun, moon, and earth align throughout the new and full moon phases. 

The sun's gravitational pull, which increases the moon's gravity, causes higher high tides and lower low tides, referred to as spring tides.

Spring tides vs neap tides

Neap tides

Neap tides occur in the moon's first and third quarter phases. When the sun and moon are at a 90-degree angle, the sun's gravity somewhat offsets the moon's gravitational pull. 

Earth still experiences tides during these phases; they are less severe because of the moon's larger pull. Low neap tides are higher than low spring tides, whereas high tides during neap tides are lower than high tides during spring tides.

Roundup

Now you know that the moon’s gravitational pull and its phases strongly affect the tides on Earth. And that’s all for today’s article about the relationship between moon phases and tides. Hope you enjoyed it and learned something new!