1096, astronomical and crucial year
Celestial phenomena and the announce of the First Crusade
As you probably know 1096, 15th August (Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, Κοιμήση τῆς Θεοτόκου) is the date french gent, and pope, Urban II scheduled to open to whole Europe (this is to say west one) the newest of the quests: taking the cross and passing all together to Asia. Σταβροφορία, stavrophoria, Rhomaioi called it, crusade you will read in the western chronicles. Urbanus called for the event at the Council of Clermont Ferrant in 1095.
Astronomically 1096 was a significant year.
From January 28th to February 26th we had three eclipses: two partial solar eclipses and one total lunar eclipse.
First partial solar eclipse took place on January, 28th around 3 a.m. in the night. Sun was in Capricorn and almost nobody was able to observe the eclipse in West Europe as in Roman Empire, nor in Near Asia, but astronomers in their minds, since it was visible at the exact antipodes[1].
The second eclipse was a total lunar one. It took place in February 11th, around 4.38 in the night. The moon was in Leo. It was the eclipse observed by Οὖβός, Hughes de Vermandois, during the concile he, his brother the king and the great lords of France gathered together in Paris to organize the extraordinary expedition. This eclipse really impressed him since, as Guibert de Nogent tells us in his Dei gesta per Francos, the moon little by little was veiled by the same color of the blood till it became cruelly red[3].
The third one, a second partial solar eclipse, went on stage on February 26th, around 14.07 p.m. Sun was in Piscis and the eclipse was perfectly visible in Europe and Near Asia[4].
The three eclipses occurred one after another, two weeks per two weeks, and belonged to a single eclipse season.
Light bibliography for essential argonauts:
[1] https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1001-1100/SE1096Jan28Pprime.html
[2]https://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/1001-1100/LE1096Feb11Tprime.html
[3]Guibert de Nogent, Dei gesta per Francos, Liber II Caput VIII, XVII.
https://remacle.org/bloodwolf/historiens/guibertdenogent/croisade2.htm
[4] https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1001-1100/SE1096Feb26Pprime.html