Did the Moon make you do it? :⁣
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Walking along a beach you may see seashells, driftwood and seaweed left by the retreating tides at your feet. Look up at the Moon, and you’re seeing the main cause of the surge and retreat of oceans from our shores. As distant as the Moon may seem, its gravitational pull on Earth plays a huge role in the formation of tides.⁣

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As the tide rolls in or out, what you’re really seeing is a cycle of small changes to the distribution of our planet’s oceans. As the Moon’s gravity tugs at Earth, it shifts Earth’s mass, distorting its shape ever so slightly into that of a football ― elongated at the equator and shortened at the poles. This effect on the solid Earth can be detected by scientific instruments, but we can watch the same changes to Earth’s oceans just by visiting the beach.⁣

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Image description: The waning gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Swiss Alps. The Moon is surrounded by the blackness of space, as it floats above the blue glow of Earth’s atmosphere. Earth’s surface appears shrouded by clouds.⁣

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Credit: NASA⁣

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#NASA #Space #Moon #HighTide #Lowtide #Tides #Lunar #Earth #Water #Beach

[ INFORMATION DATA: 25 M

arch 2024 ]