The events leading up to one of the worst maritime disasters in history may have been spurred by celestial events months earlier, an astronomer says. Donald Olson of Texas State University–San Marcos says that a full moon in January of 1912 may have led to a confluence of strong tides and southbound icebergs that swept along into the path of the Titanic. In fact, Olson says, the moon was the closest to the earth it had been since 796 AD. Other astronomers doubt the theory, however, saying that tides in early January of 1912 weren’t even especially powerful.
