Moon Was The Main Cause of the Titanic Sinking

Port side of the Titanic. (Picture from: http://www.titanicuniverse.com/)

Anyone who knows history or has seen the blockbuster movies knows that the cause of the transatlantic liner's accident 100 years ago in April was that it hit an iceberg. But now, a century later, scientists found that the main factor causing the trans-Atlantic ship sank, the moon.

"The moon and its influence can explain how a very large iceberg can enter the Titanic cruise lines," said Donald Olson, a physicist at Texas State University, USA. Olson led a team of forensic astronomers to investigate the role of the moon. 

Titanic sank at dawn on 15 April 1912 and 1.517 passengers and crew killed. Since then, researchers continue to be puzzled by the attitude of Captain Edward Smith doubt that there are warnings that an iceberg in the path of the Titanic sailed. 

Olson said Smith is known as the most experienced captain in the White Star Line and was sailing in the North Atlantic sea lanes in a variety of occasions. "So, how can a mountain of ice chunks float away to the south to enter the shipping lanes in the south of Newfoundland night?" Olson said. 

The research team investigating allegations that oceanographers Fergus Wood said distance of the moon to Earth in January 1912 extraordinary close. As a result, a high tide occurs that triggers the iceberg broke away from Greenland. Giant iceberg that floats and moves into the shipping lanes, which in the previous autumn had been moved to the south because of the reports of the presence of icebergs in the usual channels. 

Olson said the natural phenomena on January 4, 1912 is a very rare occurrence. When the moon and sun line up in such a way as to enhance mutual gravitational force. "The configuration of all of this to maximize the role of the moon as the cause of the tides," said Olson. 

THE MOON'S FAULT?: A "once-in-many-lifetimes" event involving the moon may have been responsible for the Titanic's sinking, scientists say. (Picture from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/)

Olson and his team of research will be published in Sky & Telescope magazine in April, exactly a century the tragedy of the Titanic sinking. *** [REUTERS | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 3817]

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