‘Supermoon’ and Optical Illusion Suggested as Possible Trigger for Titanic’s Sinking
- Posted on March 6, 2012 at 11:48pm by
Liz Klimas
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There have long been theories and pointing of fingers as to what caused the RMS Titanic to sink on April 14, 1912. As we approach the 100 year anniversary of the tragic sinking in the Atlantic Ocean that cost 1,500 lives, two more theories have emerged as to what could have contributed to the deadly collision. Could it have been an extremely rare lunar event or an optical illusion?
(Photo: Russell Doescher via Texas State University)
Texas State University astronomers believe that a series of coinciding events involving the moon, Earth and sun lead to a tidal event that would have increased the prevalence of icebergs present in the water in the first place. Space.com has more:
Astronomers David Olson and Russell Doescher say they have discovered that a “supermoon” event coincided with spring tide and Earth’s perihelion (the point where it is nearest the sun) on or around the same January night one century ago. Together, these events caused extreme tides that could have dislodged icebergs and flung them into southbound ocean currents. By Apr. 14, one of these bergs could have dipped just south of Newfoundland, right in time to intercept the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Though the ultimate cause of the deadly shipwreck was the failure of the Titanic crew to respond to warning messages about the icy conditions that night, “the lunar connection may explain how an unusually large number of icebergs got into the path of the Titanic,” Olson said.
According to the university statement, Olson explained further:
“It was the closest approach of the moon to the Earth in more than 1,400 years, and this configuration maximized the moon’s tide-raising forces on Earth’s oceans. That’s remarkable,” Olson said. “The full moon could be any time of the month. The perigee could be any time of the month. Think of how many minutes there are in a month.”
[...]
“As icebergs travel south, they often drift into shallow water and pause along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. But an extremely high spring tide could refloat them, and the ebb tide would carry them back out into the Labrador Current where the icebergs would resume drifting southward,” Olson said. “That could explain the abundant icebergs in the spring of 1912. We don’t claim to know exactly where the Titanic iceberg was in January 1912—nobody can know that–but this is a plausible scenario intended to be scientifically reasonable.”
(Photo: Stephen Bruneau via Texas State University)
Still, there are others who find this theory to be quite a stretch. Space.com reports John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington who has researched the correlation between the tides and seismic activity, states it seems unlikely that a few hours of high tides three months prior to Titanic’s crossing would have had such an effect. Vidale also believes there are some faults in these astronomer’s logic.
Another theory explained in a new book by a British historian is that given atmospheric conditions on that night, light could have been bent in such a way that those on the lookout couldn’t have even seen the iceberg until it was too close. Smithsonian Magazine (via Popular Science) reports that Tim Maltin believes “super refraction” could have caused a mirage that would have prevented anyone from seeing the iceberg and also could have hindered ships from getting to the Titanic faster to help. Here’s how it would have worked:
A thermal inversion refracts light abnormally and can create a superior mirage: Objects appear higher (and therefore nearer) than they actually are, before a false horizon. The area between the false horizon and the true one may appear as haze.
But the moonless night provided little contrast, and a calm sea masked the line between the true and false horizons, camouflaging the iceberg. A Titanic lookout sounded the alarm when the berg was about a mile away — too late.
(Image: Charles Floyd/Smithsonian Magazine)
If this were the case, the Californian, a ship close by that could have aided many in the frigid water, would also have misidentified the signals and size of the ship it would have seen along a false horizon.
What do you think of these theories?
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buttwart
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:23pmIf your boat is unsinkable why bother watching were you are going?
Report Post »tazman6986
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:40amhorizon theory plausibly likely
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 5:56pmcmon really! I’ll stick with knucklehead not paying full attention to the massive piece of ice on the side of the boat theory!
Report Post »Tropla
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:18am“‘Supermoon’ and Optical Illusion Suggested as Possible Trigger for Titanic’s Sinking”will read soon: “‘Supermoon’ and Optical Illusion Suggested as Possible Trigger for Hussein‘s regime’s Sinking”, because Hussein’s regime is often compared to the Titanic. Remarkable so that this theory has come around this time.
Report Post »AnAppealToGod
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:29amin other words human f-in error …
Report Post »Calm Voice of Reason
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:13amI feel as though I should point out that there are no “theories” in this article, though there are a number of “hypotheses”.
Report Post »ThinkFool
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:06pmWhy is this story newsworthy? It’s been 100 years.
Report Post »kevin
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:09amthe titanic sunk with 600 wall street financiers on board. all were against the installation of the federal reserve. they were murdered! the captain commits suicide,c’mon people look at the facts not what the hollywood nazis portray as the truth this was the first 9/11, a takeover of the american financial institutions by the same familys that control the worlds wealth today. wake up people america has been under attack for 100 years
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:00pmI bet you believe in Chem-Trails too.
Report Post »ThinkFool
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:05pmOh, spare me. Go back and reread the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and leave us rational people alone.
Report Post »jcvillar
Posted on March 11, 2012 at 10:39amNo, it was all an unfortunate accident when Freemason illegal aliens from space were flying in to New York for a meeting with the Trilateral Commission and the exhaust from the spaceship blew the iceberg into the Titanic’s path. I hate when that happens.
Report Post »IntheKnowOG
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:53amThis begs the question, clearly, this theory is not valid. It implicates a natural phenomenom that affects climate. This cannot be true, Al Gore made a movie about it. Next thing your going to say is it gets hot in the summer because of the yearly orbit of the earth around the sun with respect to the tilted axis.
Report Post »merchantsailor
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:38amWhat will the non believers come up with to explain away the Rapture?? Moonglow?? Illusion? A republican trick? Hmmmmmm……..
Report Post »SLARTIBARTFAST
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:23amDang! I was meaning to see the movie and you guys spoiled it for me! Are you telling me the boat sank?
Report Post »AIDANMAN
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:11amtoo bad nobody puts this much time into figuring out things thay matter in life.
government waste….
truth in media…..
or where Obama’s records are….
oh well , back to work.. people sitting on their as# waiting on my paycheck.
Report Post »crispycritter
Posted on March 10, 2012 at 11:06amDitto
Report Post »DWilliams08
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 6:07amWho is still getting paid to research this crap?
Report Post »Pacman116
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 5:40amHey! Maybe the crew got really sloshed and hit an iceberg. Just a thought.
Report Post »Grasshopper42
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 5:18amThe ship sank – get over it.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 5:36amhave we learned nothing?
It CLEARLY was either the TEA Party’s fault, or Bush’s fault or global warming! Oops I meant global colding. [sic] oops! Make that global climate change. Oh, just make it anything global that gives ManBearPig more money and power. (and attacks conservatives)
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:39am@TomFerrari’s answer- best yet.
Report Post »wbaranowski
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 1:54amIt was Project Bluebeam.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:37amSomeone has way to much time on their hands. This sounds like a tidal version of the “Butterfly Effect”. If this turns out to be true, I’m sorry, but we are going to have to film the movie all over again and include this fascinating revelation.
Report Post »GJPinks
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:29amI read recently that if they had spotted the Ice Berg 5 seconds earlier, they would have missed it entirely and if the had spotted it 5 seconds later they would had hit almost full head on, breached only one or two of the water proof chambers and it wouldn’t have sunk.
Report Post »jimmyv777
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:24amCaptain Smith’s family or any living relatives should get a letter of apalogy now and maybe even an award for the 1912 boater of the year since we all know it was caused by the moon now, also they are going to have to remake the movie Titantic as well. Wow good thing the scientist figured out the real cause of the the collision, now i can sleep tonight!
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:16amof course it wasnt arrogant , lazy, inattentive, or any other human trait that caused the titanic to sink , it HAS to be science ……….you know you cant argue with science cause its NEVER been wrong but you MUST accept or completely unfounded assumptions on this cause we be all smarty scientists and all
wonder when these academics are going to learn most of us are smarter than they are
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:14amDrunk driving crashed this bathtub..end of story..RIP people
Report Post »jimmyv777
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:13ama federal grant I mean
Report Post »jimmyv777
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:06amSure the scientists figured out the mystery 100 years later, great, mystery solved! I love how scientists have to come up with a scientific reason of why things happen. Whether it’s trying to figure out why someone commits a crime or whatever. My guess is the guy who was suppose to be watching for icebergs was either drunk, fell asleep, didn’t see it or took a smoke break. I guarantee the seismologists theories are not even close to what really happen. nice try buddy. He probably got a federal to come with this load of b.s
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