Lunar Lunacy: Tidal Waves and Our Fate

In this vast expanse of the cosmos, where stars are born and galaxies collide, imagine standing on a serene beach, the horizon stretching infinitely before you. As the waves kiss the shore and retreat, you witness a silent celestial embrace between the pearl-white Moon and our blue planet. This silent embrace, invisible yet omnipresent, orchestrates the moody dance of the tides in rhythmic ebbs and flows with a grace that has captivated humanity for millennia. While intensely captivating, much is understood about the beauty and the poetry of the tides. They are the result of Sir Isaac Newton’s gift to our body of knowledge─gravity, that gentle yet inexorable influence that all bodies in the universe have on every other body.

As has happened a million times in human history, every time scientific discoveries have come close to carrying us from the dark throes of ignorance to illuminated knowledge, the same discoveries have been misappropriated to bolster the ignorance. For all our refined understanding of the natural forces that orchestrate the celestial dance between the Earth and the Moon (reaching its acme with our setting foot on the surface of the Moon), the Moon and its impact on the Earth seem to have been hijacked by chart-seers, crystal ball-gazers, and the residents of a world shrouded in mystery and mysticism and where no room exists for enquiry of a scientific nature. One such world is the wonderless world of Astrology. While it might be appealing to believe that celestial bodies, least of all the Moon, have a direct impact on our lives, when we peer through the lens of science, this notion crumbles.

To grasp tidal waves, we must look at them through the lens of Newtonian physics. There are essentially three different forces at play in the generation of tides in waterbodies. While the role of the Moon’s gravitational force on the Earth and on the waterbodies is acknowledged in the formation of the tides, the roles of the two other forces frequently go unnoticed. These are a) the Sun’s gravity and b) a centrifugal or inertial force experienced in opposition to gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun.

In this article, we shall learn how the Moon and the Sun play vital roles in causing tides in large waterbodies and why no tides are formed in ponds or in your bathtub or the coffee in your mug. We’ll learn about the different mechanisms behind daily tides (12-hourly differences in the heights of tides). We’ll also learn about monthly tides (monthly differences in the maximum and minimum heights achieved by tides during the different phases of the Moon) and why differences in the height of the tides during the different phases of the Moon is not about the Moon at all. In answering these questions, we shall unlearn what we knew about how the Moon causes the tides to form, replacing it with a thorough understanding of this phenomenon.

Unimaginative Astrology

Astrology with its intricate charts and celestial predictions claims that the positions of stars and planets influence human affairs and natural phenomena. The Moon, with its visible and rhythmic phases, is pivotal to astrological thought and Lunar astrology, a subset of traditional astrology narrows the astrological focus to the Moon. Practitioners of Lunar astrology claim that the Moon, being the closest celestial body to Earth, has a profound impact on our lives, from our moods to our physical well-being. Scientific inquiry demands evidence, and in the case of Lunar astrology, such evidence is conspicuously absent. Thus, from a scientific perspective, these claims warrant scrutiny. However, before we answer these questions, let’s take a closer look at the gibberish of Lunar astrology.

The Lunar Zodiac Signs

Just as the sun moves through the zodiac signs, which are the result of creative imagination of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Indians as they stared at the 2-dimensional sky, so does the Moon, spending about 2.5 days in each sign. It is extolled by astrologers that moon signs, determined by the Moon’s position at the time of birth, provide insight into your emotional nature and how you process feelings. Some of the defining features for the 12 moon signs are as follows:

1.????? Aries Moon: Impulsive and passionate.

2.????? Taurus Moon: Stability and comfort are paramount.

3.????? Gemini Moon: Curious and communicative.

4.????? Cancer Moon: Highly intuitive and nurturing.

5.????? Leo Moon: Creative and expressive.

6.????? Virgo Moon: Practical and analytical.

7.????? Libra Moon: Diplomatic and relationship-oriented.

8.????? Scorpio Moon: Intense and transformative.

9.????? Sagittarius Moon: Optimistic and adventurous.

10.?? Capricorn Moon: Ambitious and disciplined.

11.?? Aquarius Moon: Independent and innovative.

12.?? Pisces Moon: Compassionate and dreamy. ?

Once gravity was discovered and established as an incontrovertible phenomenon, it began to be argued by the proponents of Lunar astrology that the Moon signs impact humans’ affairs (both quotidian and illicit!) via gravitational forces. This logic is simple and temptingly believable. If the gravitational pull of the Moon has the power to move humungous amounts of water in seas and oceans with little effort, how much easier would it be to impact humans who are approximately 70% water but orders of magnitude lighter. Isn’t it obvious that a force that affects heavy objects does so effortlessly to lighter objects? However, as reasonable as it is, it is also outrightly wrong as we shall soon learn. Yet, these beliefs, deeply rooted in ancient traditions and perpetuated through cultural practices, live on.

The Daily Tides

First, let us quickly refresh some Newtonian wisdom. According to Newton’s Laws of gravity every body of mass in this Universe exerts an attractive force on every other body of mass. The strength of this force is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Formulaically, this is:

F = G*m1*m2/r^2

where F is the gravitational force between two masses m1 and m2; G is the gravitational constant 6.67*10^(-11) m^3/kg*s^2; and r is the distance between their centres.

Daily Tides: The Moon’s Gravitational Influence

When applied to the Earth-Moon system, this formula elucidates how the Moon’s gravity affects the oceans. The Moon’s gravitational force on the Earth “pulls” the Earth and everything on its surface. Since massive objects on the surface of the Earth are solid (think mountains and glaciers), the attraction that they experience, although strong, does not have a manifest outcome. Water bodies, however, are different. And, for obvious reasons─they are liquid. It is easier for water to respond to the attractive gravitational forces of the Moon. Here’s the punch! Remember based on Newton’s wisdom that the strength of the Moon’s pull is proportional to the mass of the objects on the Earth? This means that the pull is stronger for heavier objects and weaker for lighter objects. This is counterintuitive, but it is also the reality. And reality doesn’t care about intuitions. So, while the Moon can tug at huge water masses such as oceans and seas, its gravitational force weakens when it pulls ponds or water in bathtubs and mugs. It is for this reason that water from these doesn’t fly towards the Moon. ???

The side of the Earth closer to the Moon experiences a greater pull than the side away from the Moon. This creates a “bulge” on large water bodies with the highest point of the bulge (the peak) being the point closest to the Moon. Since the overall water content on the surface of the Earth remains the same during a day, a bulge somewhere results in the “thinning” of water levels on two sides of the spherical Earth. Here’s another punch. On a given day, the tidal bulge is stationary or locked due to the Moon’s gravitational attraction. The tides are experienced not because at certain times of the day, the Moon pulls the oceans differently. They occur because the Earth rotates inside a spherical film of water that has bulges and thinnings on the outside. Here is what happens. The Earth revolves in its own axis “inside” the “shell” of the ocean and at some point in time, regions on the Earth cross from “under” the bulge or the thinnest water level. At each of these moments, those regions of the Earth experience a high tide or a low tide. It is like pulling a bedsheet from the middle. The part that is pulled, becomes higher and the mattress underneath experiences a “high tide”. At the same time, the edges of the mattress experience a receding of the bedsheet or a “low tide”. Now, if one were to move the mattress underneath a stationary landscape of the bedsheet, different spots on the mattress would cross the peaks and troughs at different times, experiencing their own “high tides” and “low tides”. For the purpose of simplicity and to explain subsequent concepts in the article better, we’ll call the Moon’s gravitational force on the tides “F(g)M”.

Anyone familiar with shores knows that a day sees two high tides and two tides. The concept described in the previous paragraph explains how a high tide forms on the side closest to the Moon, resulting in two low tides in the global water shell. However, some questions remain unanswered. Although the Moon’s gravitational pull explains one high tide and both the low tides, what is the explanation for the second high tide during the day? What about the differences in the height of the tides that are observed with the different phases of the Moon? Does the Moon’s gravitational pull explain these phenomena as well? If yes, how? And if no, then what does?

Daily Tides: The Sun’s Pull

Contrary to popular belief, the Sun’s gravitational has a considerable impact on waterbodies on the Earth. This interaction follows the same principles as those followed by the impact of the Moon’s gravitational force on the waterbodies. However, because of the substantial difference in the distance between the Earth and the Sun when compared with the distance between the Earth and the Moon, this gravitational effect is sizeably smaller (Newton’s Laws of gravity, again!). Similar to what happens during the interaction between the Moon and Earth, the gravitational effect of the Sun also creates a “bulge” on the waterbodies facing the Sun. As the Earth rotates on its axis inside this shell of outwardly-bulging water, high and low tides are experienced at the places crossing these bulges. We’ll call the Sun’s Gravitational Force as “F(g)S”.

Daily Tides: The Other (Inertial) Tide

Just as the Moon pulls the water towards itself, it also pulls the entire Earth. This pull creates a centrifugal force away from the Earth, on the side opposite to the side of the Moon. This is also caused by the centrifugal force. This force is formed mainly due to the inertia of the water, which resists the pull of the Moon and creates a secondary high tide. It is a bit like when a car accelerates, you feel you’re moving backwards and if you were sitting on top of the car, you’d feel as though you’re being pulled from behind. In reality, no force pulls you from behind. You remain at the same position while the car moves ahead, creating a sensation that you are being pulled behind. Similarly, due to the inertia, water bodies on the opposite side to that of the Moon, appear as though they are being pulled outwards. But what happens is that the Earth moves from its position because of the gravitational force of the Moon. However, the water bodies remain more or less in their original position. The result is the appearance that these water bodies are being This high tide is formed approximately diametrically opposite to the high tide that is formed by the Moon’s gravitational pull. We’ll call the inertial force experienced by the water bodies due to the influence of the Moon, which creates the secondary high tide, as “F(i)M”. The same phenomenon is also inflicted on the water bodies by the inertial force experienced on the side opposite to the gravitational force of the Sun on the Earth. We shall call this force “F(i)S”. ?

To summarize, the two high tides experienced during a day are the result of two different kinds of forces acting on waterbodies.

Once of them is the net effect of the Moon’s and Sun’s gravitational forces [F(g)M and F(g)S]; the other is the net effect of the inertial (centrifugal) force experienced by the water bodies [F(i)M and F(i)S] due to the Moon’s and Sun’s gravitational forces. ?

Astro-il-logical Gibberish around The Phases of the Moon

To sound serious and weighty, apologists and proponents of Lunar astrology draw correlations of lunar phases with human behaviour, such as crime rates or hospital admissions; however, these have yielded inconsistent and inconclusive results. Moreover, the mechanisms by which the Moon’s phases could influence human behaviour remain undefined and untested. In Lunar astrology, each phase of the Moon is believed to carry unique “energies and influences”. Some of these word-porridges are thus:

1.????? New Moon: Symbolizes new beginnings and fresh starts. Astrologers suggest that the Moon’s darkness represents a clean slate, providing a powerful moment for personal and spiritual renewal.

2.????? Waxing Crescent: Is associated with growth and expansion. It is viewed as a time to take active steps toward achieving goals, harnessing the increasing light to foster optimism and progress.

3.????? Full Moon: The full moon represents the climax of the lunar cycle, symbolizing completion and illumination. It is thought to be a period of heightened emotions, revelations, and fulfilment.

4.????? Waning Crescent: As the Moon’s light diminishes, the waning crescent phase signifies rest and preparation for the new moon. It’s a time for introspection and winding down, setting the stage for the fresh start of the new lunar cycle.

When the gravitational argument is misappropriated to explain how the different phases affect human lives, a misconception that is often employed is that the gravitational force of the Moon is different during the different phases. And just as the differences between the heights of the high tides and the low tides varies across the different phases of the Moon during the month, so too, does the impact of the Moon on human lives. Another misconception that is sometimes resorted to is that the distance between the Moon and the Earth changes during the different phases of the lunar cycle. In reality, as we shall see, the tidal patterns during the different phases of the Moon are because of the Sun.

Monthly Tides: The Sun Joins the Party

Tidal patterns are indeed different during the different phases of the Moon. The lunar cycle, lasting approximately 29.5 days, comprises four primary phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. In each of the phases, because of a different in the angle of the gravitational influence of the Moon and the Sun on the Earth, the “net” gravitational impact on the Earth is different, thereby influencing tidal behaviour. However, although the net gravitational impact changes, the change is influenced by an increase or decrease in influence of the Sun’s gravitational impact. The impact of the Moon DOES NOT change across the different phases.

New Moon and Full Moon

During the new moon and full moon phases, the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up, creating what are known as spring tides. These tides are characterized by the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. During the new Moon phase, the Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun. The alignment causes maximum gravitational pull from both the Sun and the Moon (F(g)M + F(g)S) and, resultantly, the maximum inertial pull on the opposite direction (F(i)M + F(i)S), leading to what are called “spring tides”.

Two weeks after the new moon, the full moon phase occurs with Earth positioned between the Moon and the Sun. This alignment again produces spring tides due to two different combinations. One of these is the combination of gravitational force of the Moon with the inertial force of the Sun on the side of the Moon [F(g)M + F(i)S]. The other is a combination of the inertial force of the Moon with the gravitational force of the Moon on the side away from the Moon [F(i)M + F(g)S].

First Quarter and Last Quarter

Approximately one week after the new moon, the Moon reaches the first quarter phase while the last quarter phase occurs about a week after the full moon. ?In this arrangement, the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun partially cancel out [F(g)M - F(g)S], resulting in lower high tides and higher low tides, resulting in minimum variations in the heights of the tides. This perpendicular alignment produces a less pronounced tidal effect, with a marked reduction in the range of tidal fluctuations, with lower high tides and higher low tides. These tides are called “neap tides”. ?

The Changing Sky

Lunar astrology also fails to account for the dynamic nature of the cosmos. The zodiac signs used in astrology were established over 2,000 years ago. Due to the precession of the equinoxes—a slow wobble in Earth’s rotation—the positions of the constellations have shifted. This means that the astrological signs no longer align with their original constellations. For instance, someone born under the sign of Aries today would have been born under Pisces 2,000 years ago. This misalignment further calls into question the validity of astrological predictions based on these signs.

The Bottom Line

The formation of tides is a testament to the intricate and interconnected nature of our universe. It is a dance choreographed by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun, a celestial symphony that has shaped our planet for eons. The tides remind us of our place in the cosmos, a reminder of the unseen, but not unknowable, forces that govern our world and the emerging beauty. Our ability to comprehend and unravel the Moon’s impact on tides serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of scientific inquiry and critical thinking. In the end, the true wonder lies not in the mystical claims of astrology, but in the elegant dance of the tides, a celestial symphony that reminds us of our place in the vast, ever-changing universe.

By understanding the principles of gravity and the natural world, we can shed the burdens of an inescapable “fate” that pseudosciences of astrology impose on us. The beauty of science lies in its ability to explain the universe through evidence and reason, rather than superstition and conjecture. As we gaze at the Moon and witness its influence on our planet, let us be inspired to seek knowledge and truth, and to challenge the fallacies that cloud our understanding of the cosmos.