what controls the tides

Tides are caused by the gravitational forces exerted on the Earth by the moon and, to a lesser extent, the sun. The moons gravitational pull generates something called the tidal force, which causes Earth and its water to bulge out on the side closest to the moon, resulting in high tides. The ocean also bulges out on the side of Earth opposite the moon, causing a second high tide. The suns gravitational pull also contributes to tides, but its effect is less than that of the moon due to its greater distance from Earth. The Earths rotation causes the tides to cycle around the planet. The timing and heights of the tide near a particular location are affected by additional factors such as the presence of continents, the shape of the Earth, and the depth of the ocean in different locations.