Moon!

This is coolbert:

"THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." - - Matthew 24:29

Great signs and portents in the heavens HAVE heralded some of the most climactic moments in world military history.

Such as:

* Battle of Delhi [1300 B.C.?]. Total eclipse of the sun followed some days later by an eclipse of the moon.

* Gaugamela. Total eclipse of the moon.

* Jerusalem [66 A.D]. Appearance of Halley's Comet. Hanging over the city like a sword.

* Falls of the Ohio [1778]. Total eclipse of the sun.

* Isandhlwana. Annular solar eclipse.

* Tannenberg [1914]. Total eclipse of the sun.

CELESTIAL PHENOMENON ALSO ACCOMPANYING the siege and fall [1453] of Constantinople to the forces of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

The end of the Byzantine [Eastern Roman Empire] Empire is considered by most historians to be one of the most pivotal events in history.

"The Fall of Constantinople refers to the capture of the Byzantine Empire's capital by the Ottoman Empire on Tuesday, May 29, 1453 (Julian Calendar) . . . the fall of Constantinople accelerated the scholarly exodus of Byzantine Greeks which caused the influx of Classical Greek Studies into the European Renaissance . . . The date of the event is one of the frequently proposed events marking the end of the Middle Ages as a historical period."

"The fall of Constantinople and general encroachment of the Turks in that region also severed the main overland trade link between Europe and Asia, and as a result more Europeans began to seriously consider the possibility of reaching Asia by sea."

Europeans of the period had to find another route to Asia! Sea routes pioneered by the Portuguese beginning with Henry the Navigator - - and the westward voyages of Christopher Columbus - - "discovering" the western hemisphere and all that meant - - in the process!

The Byzantines besieged within Constantinople seemed to be "behind the psychological eight ball"! Observed celestial phenomenon that must have - - to them - - indicated that their situation was HOPELESS!

Phenomenon related to a stupendous - - and to the Byzantines - - unknown - - volcanic eruption many thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean!

The eruption of the volcano Kuwae.

[this too was a new one on me. Devoted readers also!!??]

"Kueae also called Karua is a submarine volcano between Epi and Tongoa islands, one of the most active volcanoes of Vanuatu."

"Tongoa and Epi islands once formed part of a larger island called Kuwae. Local folklore tells of a cataclysmic eruption that destroyed this island, leaving the two smaller islands and an oval-shaped 12 x 6 km caldera in between. Also the ice core analyses [from Antarctica and Greenland] are able to pinpoint the event to late 1452 or early 1453 . . . volume of expelled matter is more than six times larger than that of the 1991 Pinatubo [Philippines] eruption"

From the wiki entry on the eruption of Kuwae:

[Pang is Dr. Kevin Pang - - Jet Propulsion Laboratory]

"The eruption occurred just before the Fall of Constantinople, the last bastion of the once-mighty Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Turks, led by Sultan Mehmed II, laid siege to the city on April 5, 1453, and conquered it on May 29. Pang found mention of the volcano's aftereffects in chronicles of the city's last days. Historians noted the city's gardens that spring produced very little. On May 25, a thunderstorm burst on the city: "It was impossible to stand up against the hail, and the rain came down in such torrents that whole streets were flooded". On the night of May 22, 1453, the moon, symbol of Constantinople, rose in dark eclipse, fulfilling a prophecy of the city's demise. Four days later, the whole city was blotted out by a thick fog, a condition unknown in that part of the world in May. When the fog lifted that evening, 'flames engulfed the dome of the Hagia Sophia, and lights, too, could be seen from the walls, glimmering in the distant countryside far behind the Turkish camp (to the west),' historians noted. Residents of the city thought the strange light was due to reflection from a fire set by the Turkish attackers. Pang said, however, such a 'fire' was an optical illusion due to the reflection of intensely red twilight glow by clouds of volcanic ash high in the atmosphere."

* Gardens did not bloom.

* Intense thunderstorm.

* Eclipse of the moon [symbol of Constantinople].

* Thick fog, unusual for that time of year.

* Optical illusions.

The end was at hand. The prophecy was fulfilled. Great signs and portents showed that all were doomed. Resistance was futile. Fate was taking it's inevitable and tragic course!!

coolbert.