The universe is a vast expanse filled with wonders that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. Among these marvels are ...

At any given point on Earth, the moon's gravity ... it leads to lower-than-average "neap tides." When the sun lines up with the moon, it triggers larger "spring tides." Watch Perez-Giz's full ...

birthing tides. During both Full and New Moons, the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in alignment, generating “spring tides.” These tides can swing exceptionally high or low due to the combined ...

tides are indeed related to the motion of the moon (and to a lesser extent, the sun).* Two oceanic bulges—one on the side of the Earth facing the moon and the other on the side opposite from the ...

On top of that, Earth's closest approach to the sun in a year had happened just the previous day. "This configuration maximized the moon's tide-raising forces on the Earth's oceans," Olson said.