Looking down on the North Pole of Earth, the high tide bulges of Earth's oceans are
A) exactly along the line defined by the center of Earth and the center of the Moon.
B) exactly along the line defined by the center of Earth and the center of the Sun.
C) east and west of the line defined in (A) with the bulge nearer the Moon being east of this line.
D) east and west of the line defined in (A) with the bulge nearer the Moon being west of this line.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Moon's gravity pulls the ocean waters towards it, creating a bulge on the side of Earth facing the Moon. The Sun's gravity also creates a bulge, but it is smaller than the Moon's bulge. The two bulges are not aligned with each other, so the high tide bulges are east and west of the line defined by the center of Earth and the center of the Moon. The bulge nearer the Moon is east of this line.

Looking Down on the North Pole of Earth, the High