Astronomers dismiss suggestion that sun and moon caused Japan earthquake

THEORIES ABOUT WHAT might have caused the earthquake in Japan, which triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami, have abounded today.

One such theory, reported by Russia Today, claims that a link had been established between the activities of the sun and moon and the earthquake that occurred off the Japanese coast

Conor Farrell, manager of Astronomy Ireland, told TheJournal.ie that there was no truth in such a claim:

“The sun’s magnetic field can create northern lights, also known as aurora, that cause amazing light displays in the sky. These can potentially knock out communication satellites – although that’s not usual. The magnetic field wouldn’t have any effect on the Earth’s tides or trigger an earthquake”, he explained.

Farrell said that, later this month, the moon would display interesting activity and move closer to the Earth than it had come in many years. However, he stressed that while the moon does have an effect on the planet’s tides, this is separate to the seismic event that caused today’s tsunami in the Pacific ocean.

Astronomers dismiss suggestion that sun and moon caused Japan earthquake

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Tsunami theories

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