Moon Lab Simulator

Tides are the regular rise and fall of ocean waters caused primarily by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun. The Moon creates a tidal bulge on the nearest side and another on the far side due to inertia.

As Earth rotates on its axis, different locations pass through these two tidal bulges, experiencing two high tides and two low tides approximately every 24 hours and 50 minutes. The extra 50 minutes accounts for the Moon's orbital motion — each day, the Moon has advanced in its orbit, so Earth must rotate a bit more to "catch up."

Spring Tides occur during new moon and full moon phases when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned (syzygy). The gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon combine, producing higher high tides and lower low tides — the greatest tidal range.

Neap Tides occur during first quarter and third quarter moon phases when the Sun and Moon are at right angles (90°) relative to Earth. Their gravitational forces partially cancel, producing moderate tides with the smallest tidal range.

The average tidal range in the open ocean is about 0.6 meters, but coastal geography can dramatically amplify tides. The Bay of Fundy in Canada has tidal ranges exceeding 16 meters due to its funnel shape. New York's tidal range averages about 1.4 meters. Gravitational force between any two objects follows Newton's Law: F = Gm₁m₂/r², meaning tidal strength increases when the Moon is closer to Earth (at perigee).

The Moon reflects sunlight. Over 29.5 days (the synodic period), its visible illumination changes, creating phases. The synodic period is longer than the Moon's sidereal period of 27.3 days (one complete orbit relative to the stars) because Earth moves in its own orbit around the Sun, requiring the Moon to travel a bit extra to return to the same Sun-Earth-Moon alignment.

New Moon → Waxing Crescent → First Quarter (right half lit) → Waxing Gibbous → Full Moon → Waning Gibbous → Third Quarter (left half lit) → Waning Crescent → New Moon.

During a new moon, the Moon is positioned between the Sun and Earth, so its unlit side faces us. During a full moon, Earth is between the Sun and Moon, so we see the fully illuminated side.

"Waxing" = increasing illumination. "Waning" = decreasing. "Gibbous" = more than half lit. In the Northern Hemisphere, during waxing phases, the illuminated portion appears first on the right side and grows toward the left. During waning phases, the illumination shrinks from the right side, leaving the left side lit.

The Moon rises approximately 50 minutes later each day because the Moon advances about 13° eastward in its orbit daily. Earth must rotate that extra amount to face the Moon again. Phases are caused by the Moon's changing position relative to the Sun and Earth — NOT by Earth's shadow (that causes lunar eclipses, which occur during a full moon when Earth's shadow falls on the Moon).

Synchronous Rotation: The Moon's rotation period equals its orbital period (27.3 days), so the same side always faces Earth. Earth experiences approximately 12.4 complete lunar cycles per year (365.25 ÷ 29.5 ≈ 12.4).

ALERT: Three astronauts are stranded on the Moon! Restore their guidance computer by unscrambling 7 moon fact statements before the 7-minute oxygen reserve runs out! Sentences start easy and get harder — good luck!