Titanic new moons

Many of us have heard the term “blue moon,” which refers to two full moons during a single month. Thanks to astronomy enthusiasts and journalists, when there are two new moons during the same month, it’s referred to as a “black moon,” which occurred Friday night.

A new moon, or black moon, is not seen as it passes between the Earth and the sun. During this phase, we are unable to see the moon’s surface. Astronomers consider this phenomenon to be relatively rare, as it only occurs approximately every 24 to 32 months. The next black moon event is not expected until Aug. 31, 2027.

Many of our long-range forecasts are based on the lunar cycles. Farmers have been planting by the moon for thousands of years. Everyone agrees that the full moon and even the new moon lead to noticeable changes in ocean tides. We believe that if the lunar cycles can affect the tides of the oceans, then why not the tides of the air?

During the full moon and new moon cycles, upper-level winds will often change as the low-pressure troughs, or dips in the jet stream, become greater while the high-pressure ridges will amplify, especially toward the end of the cycle. By contrast, during the first and last quarter lunar phases, the jet stream often becomes more zonal, and storm systems are usually not as intense. We will also experience some of our warmest and coldest days during the full and new moon cycles.

However, not every new moon cycle is wet. If a region is locked into a prolonged dry spell, there may be very little or no moisture. By contrast, if an area is experiencing a normal precipitation pattern, then moisture totals will often be higher.

Cliff and I have studied these cycles and determined that conditions are often wetter during the new moon cycle. We discovered that its moisture would increase about 10-15% during that cycle, but mainly during the winter season in our region.

We owe a great debt to the moon as it literally stabilizes the Earth’s rotation. It’s about one-quarter of the size of Earth. The moon also provides our seasons and has slowed the Earth’s rotation. If our moon were smaller or nonexistent, scientists say that our planet would have much shorter days. In fact, according to insidescience.org, if our planet did not have the moon, a day on Earth would only last between six and 12 hours. Instead of 365 or 366 days per year, there would likely be over a thousand days each year. Our world would likely look very different.

Amazingly, there is a relationship between the new moon and the sinking of the Titanic during the early hours of April 15, 1912. The date of the new moon during that month was April 17. It was a moonless night April 15, but there is a theory that proposes another event that helped to lead to the disaster.

There is a phrase, “titanic new moon,” which refers to a rare celestial alignment that occurred three months earlier in January 1912. The theory that three alignments occurred roughly at the same time is believed to have dislodged numerous icebergs, including the one that ultimately sank the Titanic.

On Jan. 4, 1912, a “supermoon” occurred during the perigee, when the moon was at its closest point to Earth in about 1,400 years, creating higher than usual gravitational forces. Just one day earlier, the Earth was in its orbit that was closest to the sun. The combined gravitational forces of these phenomena created unusually high tides. The extreme tides may have led to the large icebergs breaking from their primary locations in the shallow waters of Labrador and Newfoundland. As a result, the icebergs drifted into the shipping lanes that creating extremely dangerous conditions for ships in the region.

In terms of our local weather, the overall weather pattern continues to show more dry weather this week. The early to mid-portion of the week is expected to be hot with temperatures climbing well into the 90s across the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene regions. There’s a chance that we could see readings challenge the 100-degree mark before highs cool down into the 80s by the end of the week.

We’re still sitting at a total of 0.25 inches of moisture at Cliff’s station in Coeur d’Alene for August. There is a chance we could see a few showers toward the end of the month, but August will likely end with rainfall totals well below normal. If this turns out to be the case, then this will be the sixth month in a row with monthly precipitation totals below average.

As we move into September, the long-range forecast models are hinting at increased rainfall across the Inland Northwest. We’ll have to wait and see, as these long dry spells are very difficult to break. Stay tuned.

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Contact Randy Mann at [email protected].