During neap tides, the Sun, Moon, and Earth form a right angle, with the Earth at the vertex. This means the Sun and Moon are pulling on the Earth's oceans in perpendicular directions.

Here's a breakdown:

* Neap tides occur during the quarter moon phases (first and third quarter). At these phases, the Sun and Moon are aligned at a 90-degree angle relative to the Earth.

* The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon counteract each other. While the Moon's gravitational pull is stronger than the Sun's, the Sun's pull still exerts a significant influence.

* The combined gravitational pull results in weaker tides. Because the pulls are perpendicular, they cancel each other out to some degree, leading to smaller tidal differences between high and low tides (neap tides).

In contrast to neap tides, during spring tides, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line (either all in a row or with the Earth in the middle). This alignment creates a stronger gravitational pull, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides.