Gravitational tugs
How hard each neighbour pulls on Earth, day by day, around an anchor date. The Moon and Sun do almost all the pulling; the planets add small ripples that grow when they line up with the Sun. Dates are day/month/year. Mean values below are real physics
Each wave is scaled to its own average (1.0 is that body's own average pull), so the Moon, Sun and planets can be compared shape-for-shape on one graph. The combined-tug score underneath still uses true strengths, with planet ripples magnified ×400 so line-ups stay visible. Untick "Magnify planets" for true scale.
Highest combined tugs
Dates inside the span when Moon, Sun and planets line up best (spring-tide-like peaks).
| Date | Years from anchor | Score |
|---|---|---|
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Mean tug strength (true scale)
From NASA masses and mean distances: gravity = GM/d², tide = 2GMR/d³. Moon tide = 100%.
| Body | Gravity | Tide | Tide share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5.93 mm/s² | 505 nm/s² | 46% |
| Moon | 33.2 µm/s² | 1099 nm/s² | 100% |
| Venus (mean) | 14.4 nm/s² | 0.001 nm/s² | ~0.0001% |
| Jupiter (opposition) | 364 nm/s² | 0.008 nm/s² | 0.0007% |
| Mars (opposition) | 70 nm/s² | 0.001 nm/s² | 0.0001% |
| Saturn (opposition) | 47 nm/s² | 0.0003 nm/s² | ~0% |
Masses: NASA planetary fact sheets. Distances: JPL approximate ephemeris Table 2a (EM Bary 1.00000018 AU, Venus 0.72332102 AU, Mars 1.52371243 AU, Jupiter 5.20248019 AU, Saturn 9.54149883 AU; Moon 385000 km). Positions on the graph use full Kepler solves from J2000 elements with outer-planet corrections, so oppositions and perihelia land on true dates.