What, son? What causes the tides? Gravity. When the sun’s above it tugs the ocean up. Yeah, the moon, too, even more. No, it’s not bigger than the sun, but it’s closer. And you know when the moon is full or new? Then it’s lined up with the sun, so they work together. We get higher high tides and lower low tides - "spring" tides. No, not like the season. Just the same name. And then when the moon and the sun aren’t lined up, they don’t work together, so we get smaller, “neap,” tides.
Actually, the tides probably had a lot to do with life forming. Especially with the moon. Life didn’t begin until the moon came along. It took a whole bunch of big tides, big springs and small neaps, just a lot of sloshing around, to really churn stuff up so life could form. In tide pools, basically.
No, way bigger tides than now. And faster. See, back then the moon was closer. It went around faster and the earth rotated faster. It was like a big blender. Since then, the earth’s been slowing down and the moon’s been drifting away.
Why? Actually, because of the tides. It’s hard to explain. But the tides sort of work like brakes, slowing down the earth spinning, and also they are pushing the moon away.
Yeah, I guess so. Someday the earth might stop spinning. Someday the moon might float off and leave. I don’t know. But we have some time.
Actually, the tides probably had a lot to do with life forming. Especially with the moon. Life didn’t begin until the moon came along. It took a whole bunch of big tides, big springs and small neaps, just a lot of sloshing around, to really churn stuff up so life could form. In tide pools, basically.
No, way bigger tides than now. And faster. See, back then the moon was closer. It went around faster and the earth rotated faster. It was like a big blender. Since then, the earth’s been slowing down and the moon’s been drifting away.
Why? Actually, because of the tides. It’s hard to explain. But the tides sort of work like brakes, slowing down the earth spinning, and also they are pushing the moon away.
Yeah, I guess so. Someday the earth might stop spinning. Someday the moon might float off and leave. I don’t know. But we have some time.
