Moon Sun tidal forces distance comparison

The Moon pulls Earth's tides more strongly than the Sun

The Sun's overall gravitational pull on Earth is much stronger than the Moon's. But tides depend on how much gravity changes across Earth, and that change is more sensitive to distance. Because the Moon is so much closer, its tidal effect is more than twice the Sun's.

Like this? There’s a whole feed of it. Replace empty scrolling with things worth knowing.
Download Hence for free