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Scientists have found an unexpected culprit for the Titanic's sinking: the moon, Reuters reported.

Greenland icebergs of the type that the Titanic struck generally become stuck in the shallow waters off Labrador and Newfoundland, and cannot resume moving southward until they have melted enough to re-float or a high tide frees them, Donald Olson from Texas State University said.

Olson said a "once-in-many-lifetimes" event occurred on Jan. 4, 1912, when the moon and sun lined up in such a way that their gravitational pulls enhanced each other. At the same time, the moon's closest approach to earth that January was the closest in 1,400 years.

The high tide caused by the bizarre combination of astronomical events would have been enough to dislodge icebergs from Greenland in January 1912 and give them enough buoyancy to reach the shipping lanes by April, Olson said.

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泰坦尼克沉沒與月球有關

???????據路透社報道，科學家發現了泰坦尼克號沉沒的意外之因：月球。

???????來自德克薩斯州立大學的唐納德·奧爾森表示，泰坦尼克號撞上的那種格陵蘭島冰川，一般都是擱淺在拉布拉多和紐芬蘭旁的淺水中，它們直到融化到能漂浮，或被大潮沖走才能重新開始移動。

???????奧爾森說，“千年一遇”的現象于1912年1月4日發生：月球和太陽排得非常直，兩者間的吸引力使得各自的引力增強。同時，月球在那年的1月份距離地球也是1400年來最近的。

???????奧爾森你說，1912年1月份這些奇異的天文現象在一起引起了大潮，大潮足以使冰川從格陵蘭島脫落，并給它們足夠的浮力使它們4月前漂到航道。

(China.org.cn March 8, 2012)