Sky Matters: How tides are created goes on above our heads

The sun and the moon's gravitational forces will determine how high a tide is and when it will come in

An early morning tide at  Robert's Cove, Co. Cork. Tides are created by gravitational pull from our solar system. Picture: David Creedon/Anzenberger

The recent fine weather has had many of us taking a close look at tide tables as we eagerly anticipated the perfect dip in the sea (notwithstanding the shock of the cold, character-building water). 

Tides are the result of the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. They would still occur without the Moon because the Sun’s gravitational pull would still exist, but they would be smaller, about a third the size of the tides we are familiar with today. And they would occur at exactly the same time each day.