Why does the Earth have tides on both sides of the planet at the same time?

The Moon’s gravity pulls more strongly on the near side of Earth than on the far side, creating a stretched shape in the oceans. The near side forms a bulge because it is pulled slightly more toward the Moon, while the far side bulges because Earth itself is pulled a bit more than the water there. As Earth rotates through these bulges, many coastlines experience two high tides and two low tides each day. The Sun also contributes, though less strongly than the Moon because it is much farther away. Isaac Newton’s theory of gravitation provided the modern explanation in the 17th century.