The Star of Bethlehem
- From: mort <mort_tyler@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:34:49 -0800 (PST)
http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/gem-projects/hm/0203-1-18-bethlehem.pdf
PROJECT A – GROUP 18
NAJIEB ZAIN
KEITH NG
YANG SHUYI
1
Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is the Star of Bethlehem?
3. Astronomical Events (7 B.C. – 1 B.C.)
4. Story of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’
5. Scientific Outlook on the ‘Star of Bethlehem’
6. Conclusion
2
Introduction
From the beginning of time, man has always been fascinated with thestars and planets that populate our night skies. To the ordinary
observer like you and me the starry night would seem like a romantic
setting to spend a special moment with one’s loved ones. To the
scientist all the happenings of space is a forum of endless arguments
on who has the better or more reliable theories to explain all the
astronomical phenomena. To the historian the stars are a way to
explain certain historical facts. To the religious leaders the stars,
planets, moon and sun are used to derive the dates for their festivals
and even explain the origins of their religion i.e. Christianity. It
is clear that the stars have played an important role in the
development of mankind.
There is one ‘star’ out there which is particularly important to
mankind because it would affect everyone living on earth regardless of
background or religion. Currently, the existing timeline is defined by
the B.C. and A.D. timeline whereby B.C. is the period ‘Before Christ’
and A.D. (Anno Domini which means the year of the Lord) is that after
the birth of Christ. In the holy bible, it is mentioned that a bright
star in the sky indicated the coming of the Messiah i.e. the birth of
Christ. This mysterious star has then come to known as the ‘Star of
Bethlehem’ named after the place of his birth. So far all the facts
mentioned above have been closely related to the Christian faith. Why
then is the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ of such importance to majority of the
world population who are not of the Christian faith. Well, looking at
the issue with a more objective mind would allow one to see that the
accuracy of his birthday; in fact could alter our existing timeline.
For all we know, we might be in the wrong century instead of the 21st
century maybe we should only be in the 20th century. It is for this
discrepancy in the timeline which would affect everyone around the
world.
As you read on, you would be taken on a ride of discovery into the
true origins of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ and find out if there is any
discrepancy in our existing timeline. We will discuss the issue with a
scientific approach, religious approach etc. Hopefully, this would
give a better understanding on the mysterious star which has baffled
mankind for many centuries. Come solve this age-old mystery for
yourself.
3
What is the Star of Bethlehem?
It’s an astronomical mystery which has been puzzling mankind for a
long time. A strange star in the dark skies that loom over the middle-
eastern part of the world at that particular period claimed to have
appeared at the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us first list down what
basic knowledge we have about the star.
1. It signified the birth of the Messiah e.g. Jesus Christ
2. It signified kingship
3. It had a close relation to the Jewish people
4. It rose from the east just like the other stars
5. It appeared at a specific time
6. It could not be easily identified by King Herod or the ordinary
Jewish people
7. It lasted for a considerable amount of time
8. It remained ahead of the Magi as they traveled south of Jerusalem
to Bethlehem
9. It stopped above Bethlehem
rmed with the background knowledge of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ we shall
now
All the facts above were gathered from the Biblical Gospel of Matthew
but all these were either observations or accounts passed through word
of mouth thus the credibility of the facts is questionable. The ‘Star
of Bethlehem’ is a powerful and enigmatic symbol of Christianity.
Based on the accounts of the Roman and Jewish historians of that era
alongside the predictions of the ancient prophets such as Daniel who
are said to possess mystical powers, the possible year of the
appearance of the star ranges from 7 B.C. to 1 B.C. using the existing
timeline. During that period, there were numerous astronomical
phenomena ranging from supernovas to planetary conjunctions to the
sudden appearance of comets.
A
explore all the possibilities to see which is the most likely
explanation for the extraordinary phenomena. By comparing the visional
accounts from the people and the astronomical records of that era with
a little tinge of planetary mathematics and physics, we will try to
come up with the explanation that would fit.
4
Astronomical Events ( 7 B.C. – 1 B.C. )
ding on what could have
7 B.C.
o have a better understan
T
been the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. We must first look at all the
astronomical events which would appear outstandingly bright in the
darkness of the skies over current day Israel. Looking at all the
possibilities ranging from comets to planetary conjunctions would
allow for better judgment on the most likely outcome. : Triple
conjunction of planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation
nction of planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation
4 njunction of planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation
6 B.C
29 May
Pisces
03 Oct: Triple conju
Pisces
0Dec: Triple co
Pisces
..
ssing of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars came within 8° of each other in the
17 Apr: Jupiter underwent the 1 occultation (eclipses) of the moon
B.C.
Feb: Ma
constellation of Pisces st
23 Aug: Jupiter underwent the 2nd occultation of the moon
19 Dec: Jupiter underwent 3rd occultation of the moon
5
10 Mar – 27 Apr: A comet appeared in the constellation Capricorn and
lasted
e Chinese astronomers
70 days which was recorded by the ancient Chinese
astronomers
Mar: A super nova was observed by th
Apr: A super nova was observed by the Chinese astronomers
4 B.C.
24 Apr: A comet appeared which was recorded by the ancient Chinese
B.C.
astronomers
3
: Saturn and Mercury were within 40’ (arc minutes) of each other
tar (The Royal Star)
03 May
12 June: Saturn and Venus were separated by only 7.2’
12 Aug: Jupiter and Venus approached to within 4.2’
14 Sept: Jupiter came within 20’ of the star Regulus S
5
2 B.C.
Conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus Star was within 51’ of each other
7 us, Mars and Jupiter were close
1 B.C.
02 Feb:
02 May: Conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus Star was within 44’ of each
other
17 June: Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus were within 6” (arc seconds)
of
each other
1Aug: Mercury, Ven
-nova was recorded by the ancient Chinese astronomers
From the timeline of astronomical phenomena, we can start to analyzeeach of
eteor
A super
them carefully to see if any of them have any properties or
characteristics which could relate them to the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. In
fact, each of these phenomena does hold a hidden meaning, now we just
have to try to interpret them and find the one that holds the key
meaning to being the special Christmas Star (Star of Bethlehem). Let
us now start with the smallest astronomical body i.e. the meteor and
progress slowly to the larger astronomical beings i.e. planets
assessing each of them for their significance in relation to the birth
of Christ.
M
efore assessing the credibility of a meteor, we must first know what a
meteor is.
irth of a king, Jews,
B
Well, a meteor is a small fragment of space material – celestial dust
– which enters Earth’s atmosphere at great speeds resulting in a
brightly glowing body as its outer layer vaporizes. A ‘shooting star’
would be a dramatic way of making an announcement in the heavens.
Furthermore, an object of such beauty and splendor would be a perfect
way of signaling the birth of Christ to all the Jewish people.
Shooting stars do not rise in the east like other stars instead they
have a form of random motion, shooting across the sky in any direction
possible. Due to its nature of appearing suddenly and for mere
moments, does not make it possible for the Magi to have adequate time
to form associations with the
This is a picture of a meteor shooting across the sky
b
birthplace of the Messiah and all. Since it does not last for long, it
is unable to satisfy the Biblical account. Therefore, the ‘Star’ could
not be a meteor. 6
Comet
A comet is a celestial object which has a large orbit around the
t that time in history and all the way into the middle ages,
g
ccording to the Biblical
comet would have easily spotted by anyone w
his is the picture of one the most
Sun thus it has an orbit of many years duration. Halley’s Comet – a
block of ice – being one of the most famous comet known to man, orbits
the sun in a 75.5 year circuit. Comets rise in the east and they are
able to endure over time.
A
comets were never regarded as good omens instead they were thought of
as harbingers of destruction and doom. They were perceived as being
bad because of their behaviour in nature. To the ancient people their
action of breaking through the sky h ordered and repetitive clockwork
movement of the heavens was deemed as it was sign defiance against the
heavens. Thus, if the purpose of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ was to
signify the coming of their Messiah which would be considered a joyous
occasion it is unlikely that the Star could have been a comet.
ignoring the hi
A
account, Herod needed to consult the mystically powerful Magi –
trained astronomer – about the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. If the Star was
really a comet, everyone in the region of Bethlehem would have been
size, the slow movement of the ith untrained eyes and Herod would not
need the help of the Magi. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the
‘Star of Bethlehem’ is a comet.
able to see it. In addition to its relative gigantic
T
well-known comet in space – Halley’s Comet which is a big block of ice
7
Nova or Super-Nova
nova is a star which explodes at the end of its cycle. This explosion
can
he nova or super-nova being like other stars would rise in the east
and it would
A
increase in its brightness by a millionfold or more for a short
period. In the event of tremendously intense explosion, a super-nova
of brightness much greater than that of a nova would be formed.
T
last for a considerable length of time. Its sudden appearance would be
spectacular making it easy to spot which fits right into the Biblical
accounts. This is a picture of a super nova during its explosion
o the people on Earth, the explosion of the star will suddenly grow as
bright as
his is a picture of a
nova
T
Venus in the darkness of the night skies which could be easily spotted
by the naked eye. Furthermore, the due to the lack of artificial
lighting the darkness of the ancient skies would have allowed the
people to view the stars with great ease. If a nova or super-nova
T
8
This is a picture of the Vela Supernova Remnant.
ere to appear suddenly, being so familiar with the night skies, anyone
would
tar
w
have been able to spot it. But for the fact that Herod needed
assistance from the Magi who were trained astronomers to locate the
‘Star of Bethlehem’ clearly indicates that it was not easily spotted
by the naked eye. If it was an astronomical event, it is very likely
not a nova or super-nova.
S
Stars, defined as large, gaseous, self-illuminous celestial bodies
were widely considered to be God’s handiwork, and therefore, a source
of divine guidance. As a result, astrology overlapped with religion.
Astrology offered a traditionally sanctioned way to discern a pattern,
to extract relevant meanings from the chaos of current events, and to
discern future ones.
9
Since the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is being named as a
onjunction
star, ever wonder why nobody actually suspected any of the stars that
populate our universe for being the star which signified the birth of
Christ. For the fact that there is countless number of stars in the
vast universe, it is quite impossible to come up with a substantial
evidence to support the possibility of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ being
any of the current stars in our universe. In fact, most astronomers
argue that the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is actually an old star which is no
longer in existence now. Numerous theories have been formulated to pin-
point the star as well as those which disregard its
existence all together.
C
Between 7 B.C. and 1 B.C., there were many
a
urthermore, the fact that occurrence of conjunctions do not happen
everyday
astronomical phenomena but one which seems to occur very too often
within this timeframe is the conjunction, thus making it very
difficult to over look. Planets like the Earth have an orbit circling
the sun but due to the differences in the distances of each planet
from the Sun; this results in the different orbital distance moved by
each planet. As the planets progress with their orbital motion, there
are times when the planets appear to be very close to one another. And
it is the result of this closeness that when it is observed from the
Earth it seems as l body. During the suspected timeframe of Jesus
Christ’s birth, there were numerous conjunctions and all of them have
their own special characteristics which makes their claim to being the
‘Star of Bethlehem’ very credible. Knowing this makes it very
difficult to disclaim the possibility that the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is
the result of a conjunction that occurred a long time ago.
like a big and bright celesti
F
makes it the perfect sign to signify the coming of someone as special
as the Jewish Messiah – Jesus Christ. In fact, conjunctions are so
rare that they only occur when the planets manage to get close to
other planets. To see this kind of closeness of planets is difficult,
due to the different sizes of the orbits of each planet.
10
Finally, planets being celestial bodies of such immense size make them
very visible to the naked eye of person on the Earth. When a
conjunction results the few planets involved are usually in such close
proximity that to an observer on Earth it would seem as a very bright
and magnificent celestial body. This celestial body seems as a
suitable sign to make the coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is
possible to link the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ to one of the conjunctions.
Occultation
In the era of Jesus Christ birth, there were also a few occurrences of
occultation. An occultation occurs when a celestial object passes in
front of another celestial object. A good example to illustrate this
fact would be as follows: when the Moon passes in front of a
background star, light from the background star is prevented from
reaching the Earth. A shadow of the Moon is cast by the star onto the
Earth, and this shadow sweeps across the Earth at roughly the same
speed as the Moon is moving. And it is this occultation that could
have resulted in the formation of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’.
Review on the Astronomical Events ( 7 B.C. to 1 B.C. )
After looking through all the astronomical events which have occurred,
we now know that some of these phenomena might be magnificent in their
own right but they might have characteristics which make them
unsuitable to lay claim to being the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. We are now
better equipped to understand what could have resulted in the
formation of the Christmas Star. Smaller celestial bodies – meteor,
comet and nova – are automatically ruled out of contention due to the
fact that they do not last long enough to be of any significance to
the wise Magi. And a comet which is believed to be an omen of doom
definitely cannot be the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. Thus that leaves us with
the more prominent astronomical phenomena which involve the much
larger celestial bodies. Being so large in size would have made it
easy for the Magi to spot. As we progress further, we will look into
more detail at each possible phenomena to see if they are worthy of
the title of being the ‘Star of Bethlehem’.
11
The Stories of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’
After looking at all the possible astronomical phenomena, only a few
of them have the characteristics needed to fulfill the criteria of the
‘Star of Bethlehem’. Now we will try to relate these astronomical
phenomena to the events recorded in the Bible and analyze the two for
any discrepancies. Although it might not be possible to accurately
account for what resulted in the mystical formation of the ‘Star of
Bethlehem’, at least we can come with a better picture of the
astronomical phenomena responsible.
Now, we will slowly progress through the timeline and look at each
event in greater detail. The journey that we take would an
intellectually challenging one because many differing views on the
‘Star of Bethlehem’. Before we progress any further we must first arm
ourselves with the essential knowledge needed for a more accurate
judgment on the issue at hand. There are a couple of assumptions to be
made. One major assumption to be made would be the age at which Jesus
Christ was baptized. With that information we can calculate his
estimated time of birth.
When was Jesus Born?
Luke says Christ was about thirty when he was baptized after John
began his ministry in A.D. 29. The year of A.D. 29 is also indicated
because the crucifixion of Christ most likely occurred in the spring
of A.D. 33 (with A.D. 31 and 32 astronomically unacceptable), and the
Book of John implies that his baptism was about three and a half years
before.
If Christ was baptized in A.D. 29, one needs only to count back "about
thirty" years to arrive at his birth date about 2 B.C. Today it is
popular to interpret "about thirty" as meaning "26-34" in order to
accommodate a birth date for Christ in 6-5 B.C. However, the early
Christian fathers, such as Irenaeus and Epiphanius, accepted the
straightforward interpretation that it meant a few months less than
thirty.
Christ made a point of fulfilling the law of Moses in every detail
(Mat. 5:17), which would have included beginning his public ministry
at age 30 (Num. 4:3). He apparently began his public ministry at the
Passover in A.D. 30 (after his baptism) because 1) his first miracle
was done rather secretly "not many days" before that Passover (John
2:9-13); 2) at that time he said, "mine hour is not yet 12
come" (John 2:4), suggesting that the time for his public ministry had
not arrived because he was not yet thirty; and 3) he then openly
taught and did miracles at Passover (John 2:23), implying that he was
then thirty. If so, Christ was born in the spring of 1 B.C., on or
shortly before Passover.
Therefore, to aid our study on origins of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’, we
will assume that Jesus was born somewhere between the 7 B.C. and 1
B.C. due to the fact that he was baptized in 29 A.D.
The assumptions are as follows:
1. Jesus Christ was baptized in his 30’s – ranges from 26 to 34
2. The suspected time of his Birth is between 7 B.C. to 1 B.C.
3. The Magi were trained astronomers able to view the stars in the
night sky accurately
4. People of that time would regard any bright celestial body in the
dark skies that loom over the present day middle eastern region as
stars
5. The viewing of the stars was done with the naked eye
With the aid of these simple assumptions we will now plunge straight
into the issue of viewing all the possibilities. Eventually, we will
come out with a logical argument to support one of these candidates.
Now, without any more delays let us view our first candidate.
Triple Conjunction ( 7 B.C. )
In the year 7 B.C., a prominent astronomical phenomenon – triple
conjunction – involving Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation which
dazzled the universe occurred thrice. Making it the perfect sign to
signify the birth of the Jewish Messiah, but this is not only its
prominence which makes it so special. There are many other factors
which also contribute to suspicion.
13
The picture of Jupiter and Saturn
Firstly, the most noticeable of all factors would be the dates on
which the triple conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn appeared. The
dates are as follows 29 May, 3 October and 4 December all in 7 B.C...
Looking at all the dates it is noticed that there is a good separation
in the dates which would allow the Magi sufficient time to travel from
their place in the East to Bethlehem – birth place of Jesus Christ.
Since the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is also known as the Christmas Star, it
is easily related to Christmas celebrated on the 25th December. And
with the last of the triple conjunction occurs on the 4th December
makes it quite a compatible match.
Secondly, the occurrence of a triple conjunction is very rare. By
using the mathematical formulas of Kepler, it can be estimated that a
triple conjunction occurred at an interval that varies between 40 to
338 years. And its rareness can be seen in the fact that since 7 B.C.
there have only been 11 such triple conjunctions. Like the rare
occurrence of the triple conjunction the birth of the Jewish Messiah
is also something that is special and happens once in a life time thus
the triple conjunction would be the perfect sign.
14
Thirdly, at the time people bore certain significance to the planets,
stars and other celestial bodies. The conjunction of Jupiter and
Saturn would be the ideal sign to indicate the coming of the new king.
Jupiter is known as the ‘Planet of Kings’ and Saturn known is the
‘Protector of the Jews’. Furthermore, all of its occurrences were in
the constellation of Pisces which is held in very high regard by the
Christian faith. Thus its combined significance is the coming of the
‘King who would protect all Jews’. Again making it a good sign.
Lastly, in the absence of artificial light the stars (at that time
both planets and stars were referred to as stars) in the dark skies
would be very prominent to everyone. That means only something special
would catch the trained eye of the Magi but yet not be noticed by the
ordinary man. The latter can be further confirmed by the fact that
Herod had to consult the wise Magi about the appearance of the star.
An event such as the conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn would
probably be interpreted as a special sign which was significant enough
to them for them to want to follow it.
Therefore, it is possible that the triple conjunction of Jupiter and
Saturn were actually the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. The only fact which
contributes to the doubt if there is any is that the year in which it
occurred is a little far from the more popular years of 2 B.C. and 3
B.C…
Conjunction involving Jupiter and Regulus ( 3 B.C. – 2 B.C. )
It was the first Jupiter/Regulus conjunction of September 14, 3 BC in
the constellation Cancer that alerted the Magi to look for further
signs. The magi are known wise men at that time, held in high regards
in the astronomic arena. They are mostly based in Persia, descendants
of those who followed closely after Daniel the prophet during the
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. They set off on a starry journey towards the
star which eventually led them to Bethlehem of Judea, approximately 6
km south of Jerusalem.
But it was the second Jupiter/Regulus conjunction, on 2 Feb, 2 BC, in
the evening, of Jupiter and Venus, in the constellation Leo. For the
Jews, The
15
constellation Leo was not only considered the “head” or “chief” sign
of the Zodiac, it was thought to be ruled by the sun, the “chief” star
of the heavens. It was considered the “Royal Constellation”, dominated
by the star Regulus. The name Regulus itself is derived from the Latin
word for king; it was considered the “King Star”. Leo was also
considered the beginning zodiacal sign for the astrological year and
was thought to denote royalty and power for any of the planets found
within it. Jupiter was regarded by the Roman people to be the guardian
and ruler of the Roman Empire and it was thought to have the power to
determine the course of all human affairs. Venus, now in conjunction
with Jupiter, was believed to be the mother of the family of Augustus.
So here were the two planets dedicated to the origins of Rome and the
sovereignty of Augustus merging together in a “marriage” during one of
the most glorious years in the history of Rome, and in the
constellation of Leo.
This started the Magi on their way west. Although the Magi probably
had predicted these celestial events in advance, they wanted
confirmation that their predictions would come to pass. The “star”
they followed was the planet Jupiter, the King Planet. The magi then
went to the king Herod in Jerusalem, thinking that the child to be
born the great king could be the descendant of Herod’s line. But Herod
himself was unaware of the signs of the stars. This set unrest in
Herod as he sent out subjects to kill the child that is to be born
King.
To astrologers, it appeared as though the King Planet was circling
over and around Regulus, the King Star, “homing in” on it and pointing
out the significance of the King Star as it related to the King
Planet. This circular movement of Jupiter over Regulus would, in all
probability, have signaled that a great king was then vided another
significant destined to appear. This circling motion also pro
16
astrological observation. The zero line for beginning and ending the
360 degrees of the Zodiac was determined by some astrologers as
existing between Cancer and Leo. This means that this motion effect of
Jupiter circling around Regulus was happening in the heavens just east
of the zero degree line for astrological measurements. It occurred at
the beginning section of the astrological Zodiac in the view of some
Gentile astrologers. This interpretation is similar to that designed
by Moses; the Biblical Zodiac designed by Moses also began with the
royal sign of Leo, but its zero degree line was located in the middle
of the constellation, not at its beginning. Whatever the case, these
indications would unquestionably have shown the people of that era
that a great king or ruler was then being introduced, to the people of
the world.
Jupiter/Regulus conjunction on 2 May 2 B.C, the magi arrived in
After the third
town of Bethlehem on 17 June 2 B.C to see the conjuncture very new the
Regulus (perhaps the second conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus here).
This conjunction of the three stars is perhaps very bright to many
stargazers.
17
18
The westward motion of Jupiter would have led the magi to Jerusalem.
Jupiter
then, due to retrograde motion, appeared to “stop” in the sky, as
viewed from
Jerusalem, directly to the south, over Bethlehem. It came to its
normal stationary
position at dawn on December 25th, 2 BC. Not only that, but the planet
came to a
stop in the constellation Virgo. It remained there for nearly six
days. Furthermore,
being near the Winter Solstice, the sun was also “standing still”.
Well the list of events above we have managed to gather
a rough understanding of what could have happened
between Jupiter and Regulus. We will now make a more
in depth study on each of the events in hope of getting a
better understanding of their significance in the formation
of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’.
Jupiter is the name of the greatest god of Roman mythology and the
name of the
largest planet of our solar system. Jupiter has been known from ages-
old to the
present as the King Planet. This greatest of planets is a "gas giant,"
approximately eleven times the size of Earth and over 300 times more
massive.
It circles the Sun far beyond Earth, in an orbit of about twelve years
duration. In
ancient times, planets like Jupiter were considered "wandering stars."
Since
umans have assigned kingly qualities to this giant wanderer for dozens
of
enturies, might it have something to do with our ‘Star of Bethlehem’
announcing
ing.
ould have to be very special for it to be able to fulfill the
characteristics of the ’ tar of Bethlehem’. In September of
o
Shanah, Jupiter began
A magus watching Jup
– moving so close tha ur Middle Eastern observer –
agi – saw Jupiter coming into a close conjunction with the star,
Regulus (Royal
h
c
the birth of a
k
It's not sufficient to have a kingly name and reputation. To be the
‘Star of Bethlehem’, Jupiter as viewed from Earth would have to do
peculiar things. More precisely, as considered by a magus viewing from
the Middle East during the years 3 B.C. and 2 B.C., Jupiter's
movements
w
S
f the Jewish New Year, Rosh ha- to do just that. iter that September
saw two objects – Jupiter and Regulus t they appeared to touch. O
3 B.C. at the time
M
Star). Regulus takes its name from the word root which yields our word
'regal.'
he Babylonians called Regulus Sharu, which means 'king.' The Romans
called
magus enjoyed a 50-year career, say from age 20
to age 70. We are not of the exact age of the Magi,
but if they were in the second half of his career,
wobbles relative to
tion is as close as
C… Perhaps they
e interest, but it is
ent. There has to be
on their quest.
fixed stars. From Earth, they appear to be
ctive." For example, were you to watch Jupiter each night for several
weeks,
ou would see that it moves eastward through the starry field in the
darkness of
gh: we watch the planets from a moving
latform – Earth – hurtling around the Sun in its own
rbit. When you pass a car on the freeway, it
s
similar reasons, when the Ea
past another planet, that pla
backward against the starry
this optical effect retrograde m
In 3 B.C. and 2 B.C., Jupiter
magus' full attention. After Jup
continued on its path through
and headed back to Regulus
T
Regulus Rex, which means 'king.' At the beginning of the new Jewish
year, the Planet of Kings will meet the Star of Kings. This
conjunction may have indicated kingship in a forceful way to a
Babylonian magus. Would that have alerted the wise Magi? Probably not
because Jupiter glides slowly past Regulus about every 12 years. Let's
assume our
they might have seen such atimes before. Jupiter's orbit Regulus, so
not every conjuncthe one they saw in 3 B.recorded this event with
somhard to imagine great excitemmore clues with made them go The
planets move against the field of
pass two or three
"a
y
the night sky. Each night Jupiter rises in the east. Each night it
appears to be slightly farther east in the field of fixed stars. All
of the planets move like this. But the wandering stars (planets)
exhibit another form of strange motion. Periodically, they appear to
reverse course and move backward through the other stars. This may
seem odd, but the reason is simple enou
p
o
appears to go backward a
it drops behind. For rth in its orbit swings net appears to move
field. Astronomers call otion. 's retrograde wandering would have
called for our iter and Regulus had their kingly encounter, Jupiter
the star field. Then it underwent retrograde motion for a second
conjunction. After this second pass it 19
reversed course again for yet a third rendezvous with Regulus, a
triple
onjunction. A triple pass like this is very rare. Over a period of
months, our
Jupiter's interesting behavior may explain the kingly aspect of
the Star. How did Jupiter's movement relate to the Jewish
Some might claim that the
icate to the powerful Magi
s. Jewish prophecy states
tribe of Judah. The symbol
his association of Messiah with the tribe of Judah and with the lion
is a
rophetic enigma. But a portion of the Book of
Revelation provides clear and compelling guidance
i
wrote the book a
island of Patmos.
a lack of compan
night sky. Whatev
star imagery. In C nd
death drama played out in the sky: the birth of a king.
c
watching magus would have seen the Planet of Kings dance out a halo
above the Star of Kings. This course of event would have been
interpreted by the Magi as the coronation of their future king (Jewish
Messiah).
nation? Is its association with the JWhere is an indication of a
birth? triple conjunction by itself would indthat a new king was to be
born. The Jewish nation is composed of twelve ancient tribethat a
particular tribe will bring forth the Messiah: the of Judah's tribe is
the lion.
ewish New Year enough?
T
productive clue. It clarifies the connection between Jupiter's
behavior and the Jewish nation, because the starry coronation – the
triple conjunction – occurred within the constellation of Leo (The
symbol of the brave and noble lion). Ancient astronomers, particularly
if they were interested in things Jewish, may well have concluded they
were seeing signs of a Jewish king. The last book of the New Testament
is, in part, a
p
cal investigation. The apostle John s an old man while in exile on the
Perhaps the austerity of this exile or ionship left him time to ponder
the er the reason, Revelation is full of hapter 12, John describes a
life a
for our astronom
20
And here are the main points as follows:
was about to give birth.
3. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with
seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
4. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them
to the earth.
born.
le all the nations with an
woman in labor, a
and a ruler of the nations.
We have already seen this
ruler in the Book of
Genesis, above. This
would be the Jewish
Messiah, in his role as
King of Kings. If that
interpretation is correct,
then according to the
gospel story the woman
dragon which waits to kill
be
says the
moon at her feet.
Wh
John's in greater detail the starry dance which
began with the Jewish New Year.
1. A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on
her head. 2. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she
The dragon stood in front of the woman who wathat he might devour her
child the moment it was 5. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who
will ruiron sceptre... Adragon bent on infanticide
s about to give birth, so
would be Mary, the mother of Jesus. The
the child at birth would
Herod, who did that very thing. John
woman he saw was clothed in the Sun. She had the
en we continue our study of the sky of September of 3 B.C., the
mystery of vision is unlocked: he is describing
21
As Jupiter was beginning the coronation of Regulus
rose in the sky. The constellation which rises in the ea
Virgin. When Jupiter and Regulus were first meeting
Sun. And as John said, the moon was at her fe
symbolically birthed at the feet of The Virgin.
The sheer concentration of symbolism in the stars at t
These things could certainly lead the magi to conclu
been born. But even this is not the whole story. These
birth, but if they were interpreted to indicate the time of
of a human life, might there be something interestin
later? Indeed. In June of 2 BC, Jupiter continued the pa
By the following June, Jupiter had finished
crowning Regulus. The Planet of Kings
traveled on through the star field toward
another spectacular rendezvous, this time with
a around the
world by scientists who may know nothing of
essiah. They do it because what Jupiter did
makes such a great planetarium show. Jupiter
tar our man had ever seen. Jupiter
completed this step of the starry dance as it was setting in the west.
That
vening, our Babylonian magi would have seen the spectacle of his
career while
facing toward Judea.
ey told their tale,
and "all Jerusalem was disturbed." Herod wanted to know two things:
when the
tar had appeared, and where this baby was. The Magi presumably
described
the timing of events starting in September of 3 B.C .and continuing
through June
of 2 B.C… Herod sent them to Bethlehem in search of the child with
orders that
they return to tell where he was.
, another startling symbol st behind Leo is Virgo, The , she rose
clothed in the et. It was a new moon, his moment is remarkable. de
that a Jewish king had symbols could indicate a conception, the
beginning g in the sky nine months geantry. Venus, the Mother Planet.
This conjunction was so close and so bright that it is today displayed
in hundreds of planetari
M
appeared to join Venus. The planets could not be distinguished with
the naked eye. If the Magi had had a telescope, he could have seen
that the planets sat one atop the other, like a figure eight. Each
contributed its full brightness to what became the most brilliant s
e
No one alive had ever seen such a conjunction. If the Magi only began
their travel plans in September, when they saw this sight nine months
later, at the end of their travel these experts would have arrived in
Jerusalem. Th
S
22
To be the ‘Stahave to havetrekked 6kmBethlehem. SB.C. if the Mhours,
there the city of Jew The problem with a planet stopping is not what
most people might think. The problem is not that pla
r of Bethlehem’, Jupiter would
been ahead of the Magi as they
south from Jerusalem to
ure enough, in December of 2
agi looked south in the wee
hung the Planet of Kings over
ish Messiah's birth.
nets can't stop. It is just the opposite. The problem is that
all planets are always stopped to the eye of a human observer. The sky
moves
bove Earth at half the speed of the hour hand on a common clock. Its
movement is imperceptible to the naked eye. So, if all stars are
always stopped,
motion. An
astronomer tracking the movement of planets
through the star field watches not so much on
the scale of minutes, but on the longer scale
h
time, Jupiter did stop. On Decemb
B.C. as it entered retrograde, Jupite
full stop in its travel through the f
Magi viewing from Jerusalem w
seen it stopped in the sky above
town of Bethlehem.
a
what can Matthew have meant? Perhaps you have already anticipated the
key to this final mystery: retrograde
is scale of er 25 of 2 r reached ixed stars. ould have the little
of days, weeks and months. On t
23
After looking at all the facts we now summarise into the 9 main points
and they are as follows: 1. The first conjunction signified birth by
its association to the day with Virgo
"birthing" the new moon. Some might argue that the unusual triple
conjunction by itself could be taken to indicate a new king.
2. The Planet of King's coronation of the Star of Kings signified
kingship.
3. The triple conjunction began with the Jewish New Year and took
place
within Leo, showing a connection with the Jewish tribe of Judah (and
y were astronomical events which
experts.
ime sufficient for the Magi to see
rrival in Jerusalem.
raveled south from Jerusalem to
er the city of Jesus Christ’s birth
prophecies of the Jewish Messiah). 4. Jupiter rises in the east. 5.
The conjunctions appeared at precise, id6. Herod was unaware of these
things; thehad significance only when explained by7. The events took
place over a span of tthem both from the East and upon their a8.
Jupiter was ahead of the Magi as they tBethlehem. 9. The ‘Star of
Bethlehem’ is able to stop ov
entifiable times.
24
The St
ar Theory
The latest theory being the one put forward by renowned
that the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is actually a real star that still
can be seen through the telescope today. However, now
n it
ariable star was able to change its brightness and may have experience
a
emendous nova outburst in the past. In fact, this outburst could have
been the
right star’ seen by the Magi a long time ago. Therefore, it is
possible that the
tar of Bethlehem’ is actually the star DO Aquilae.
British astronomer Mark Kidger. His new idea proposed
the star is just a glimmer of its once glorious days wheled the Magi
to the birth place of Christ. It is a rather dimobject in universe as
DO Aquilae. The star being a
v
tr
‘b
‘S
The picture of the constellation Aquilae – The Eagle
25
Scientific Outlook on the ‘Star Of Bethlehem’
Stars, defined as large, gaseous, self-illuminous celestial bodies
were widely
considered to be God’s handiwork, and therefore, a source of divine
guidance.
As a result, astrology overlapped with religion. Astrology offered a
traditionally
sanctioned way to discern a pattern, to extract relevant meanings from
the chaos
of current events, and to discern future ones.
Johannes Kepler
German-born Johannes Kepler was a brilliant astrologer. He is
considered the “Father of Modern Astronomy”. He uncovered the
Mathematics of the cosmos and discovered the laws of planetary
motion. He also figured out the recurring patterns of conjunctions for
Jupiter and Saturn.
Generally, it has been thought that Kepler came up with the theory
that the triple
conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn was the Star of Bethlehem. He
suggested that
in 7 B.C., there was a triple conjunction between the two planets
Jupiter and
Saturn. He further postulated that the three meetings of the two
planets occurred
in the constellation Pisces during late May, September and early
December. In
February 6 B.C., another conjunction of three planets occurred, when
Mars,
another. This conjunction
gn of Pisces, which ancient
strologers named the house of the Hebrews. Jupiter was regarded as the
ruler
f the universe. Saturn was associated with Palestine. A probable
explanation of
e triple conjunction followed by the massing of the three planets in
Pisces to
e Magi could be an indication that a King of Israel and a Ruler of the
Universe
as about to be born in Israel.
observed
supernova in Ophiucus, which has actually his name,
of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. He
hat the Star of Bethlehem might
planets in
supernova
the planeta
Jupiter and Saturn came within 8 degrees of oneccurs every 805 years.
It was seen again in the si
o
a
o
th
th
w
A
lthough Kepler was the first person to argue the possibility of the
triple conjunction occurring in 7 B.C. by his calculations at length,
he actually suggested something else. Kepler postulated that the Star
of Bethlehem was ‘aliquid novi’= ‘something new’ in addition to that
triple conjunction. In 1604, he
a
after the massing
advanced the view thave been
a nova occurring near a bright planet of conjunction. Both the new
stars (the and the Star of Bethlehem) were the result of ry
conjunction in his cosmological vision.
26
Explanation
In December 1603, Kepler observed a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
that occurred in Sagittarius in a morning sky. (Note that this was
only a single conjunction). The point that the conjunction took place
in a constellation that was one of the points of the Fiery Trigon
(being Sagittarius, Aries and Leo) was actually astrologically
important. Following this during the next autumn was a triangular
grouping of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—a fiery triangle in the Fiery
Trigon. As an omen, this was surpassed only by a comet, and many
astrologers in 1603 predicted that a comet would be
roduced due to the planets’ close proximity in late 1604.
nto four trigons, each
ellations. The Jupiterrs
at 20 year intervals
gh the signs of a given
ximately 200 years and
le back to nearly their
uinox after almost 800
appened only 8 times
onclusion
p
During Kepler’s time, location of a conjunction had eqconjunction
itself. The twelve zodiac signs were divided imade up of three
associated and equally spaced constSaturn conjunction is a regular
planetary rhythm that occuand 117 degrees apart. It shifts
westward(clockwise) throutrigon, remaining within the signs of one
trigon for approthen shifts into the adjacent trigon. They begin a new
cycoriginal position as measured with respect to the vernal eqyears
before that. Kepler believed that the event had hsince the creation of
the world.
ual importance to the
C
come to the end of our meaningful journey of exploration through
e history and the background of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. Like before
we will try
Bethlehem’.
The first thing which we have
astronomical phenomena such as
chance to of laying claim to the title
a number of reasons namely their
that era, the inability to last for a
prominence due to their dwarfish si
them from our list of potential suspects.
Now we have
th
to come up with a logical argum
ent to support the truth behind the ‘Star of learned is that the
possibility that some meteor, comet and super novas have no of being
the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. This due to lack of symbolic importance to
the people of considerable length of time and the lack of zes when
viewed from Earth. Thus eliminating
27
After narrowing down our choice, we are left with 3 slightly more
believable
arguments which involve the triple
conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the
e would have contributed to the error of each
cenario. Making it very difficult to decide which has a stronger claim
to the
rone. But of the 3 scenarios the most suspectable would be the theory
of the
m’ being the DO Aquilae of the Aquilae constellation (The
relatively new theory which lacks the evidence to make a
e age of Jesus Christ during the time of his baptism, this makes it
ery difficult for us to decide on the 2 scenario. Till the day comes
when some is
better understanding on
e topic with regards to the ‘Star of Bethlehem’.
triple conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus and the star DO Aquilae.
Upon strict scrutiny, all of them have their own special
characteristics which allow them to lay claim to the throne of being
the ‘Star of Bethlehem’. For the fact, that a lot of calculated
assumptions were made and other discrepancies in the way data was
collected at that tim
s
th
‘Star of Bethleheagle). This is a
E
substantial claim to the throne. Thus, that leaves us with 2 more
choices. For the other 2 triple conjunctions, both of them are quite
credible. Since we are nsure of th
u
v
able to prove that exact age of Jesus Christ when he was baptized
would be able to come a conclusive ending. Because with his exact age
we can count back to the year he was born which would able us to pin
it to either the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (7 B.C.) or the
conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus (3 B.C. – 2 B.C.) fter finishing
this enriching journey, we hope it gives a
A
th
28
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a
h
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32
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