Modern Interpretations of Constantine's Vision
There are modern astronomical and astrological theories that lend credence to Eusebius's account. In 1948, Fritz Heiland, of the Zeiss planetarium at Jena, published his astronomical interpretation of Constantine's vision, that the fall of the year 312 was attended by an unusual spectacle: the syzygy or close alignment of three bright planets, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, in the evening sky above the southwest horizon, positioned along a line within about 20 degrees of each other on the border of Capricorn and Sagittarius.
The Swedish geologist Jens Ormo and co-authors suggest that the account may have had its origins in Constantine's witnessing the daylight effects of a meteorite's descent through Earth's atmosphere, of which the impact he believes resulted in the Sirente crater situated in Sirente-Velino Regional Park in Abruzzo, Italy.
Read more about this topic: Labarum
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