HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-12-21, Page 15Wednesday, December 21, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 15
Star Column: What was the origin of the Christmas Star?
I love stories about stars.
Demon stars, black holes,
spinning neutron stars spew-
ing matter in all directions,
they all are remarkable. This
time of year, of course, we
have the Christmas Star, and
though it is familiar to every
Christian, I am sure many
people wonder if there is a
real astronomical event
behind the story. Was the
Christmas Star really a bright
comet, a spectacular super-
nova or maybe a bright planet
rising over Bethlehem? If, to
you, the Christmas Star was a
miracle requiring only a bibli-
cal explanation, then the
astronomy lesson ends here.
But if you are still reading,
you probably have guessed
that there is a good astronom-
ical candidate for the Star of
Bethlehem.
There are only brief refer-
ences in the bible (Matthew
2, Luke 2) to a star guiding
the wise men to Bethlehem.
Looking for a more scientific
explanation, scholars have
delved into the regional cul-
tures and duplicated the
ancient sky with planetar-
ium software. The biggest
problem is that, at the time,
the word "star" included
other objects: -a planet,
bright meteor or comet, a
glowing cloud, sundog or
halo. This expansion of pos-
sibilities just makes the task
more difficult.
Most scholars accept the
range from 3 BC to 1 AD for
Christ's birth date and in
that interval there occurred a
unique and spectacular
event, a triple conjunction
(close approach) of the sky's
two brightest planets, Venus
and Jupiter. To the popula-
tions of the region, it would
have been a very significant
heavenly event, indeed.
It started August 12, 3 BC,
when Jupiter and Venus
first appeared very close
together, a pair of bright
morning 'stars' near the
John Hlynialuk
Bluewater
Astronomical Society
"little king" star, Regulus, in
Leo. It would have been vis-
ible in the entire Middle
East. The planets moved
apart slightly and then, ten
months later, on June 17, 2
BC, they approached each
other again, so closely this
time that they merged into
a single, brilliant star.
Finally, the last of the three
conjunctions happened on
Oct 13, 2 BC in the adjoin-
ing constellation Virgo. The
dates above are the times
for minimum separation,
but the two planets would
have been shining near
each other for months
before and after.
The mythology of the plan-
ets and constellations pro-
vides the context for the story.
Jupiter was the "Planet of
Kings" and Saturn the "Pro-
tector of the Jews'; -a sign to
many that the Jewish Messiah
was coming. In addition, roy-
alty and power were associ-
ated with Leo the Lion and
Virgo was an appropriate con-
stellation given the reference
to the virgin birth. In an era
where astronomy and astrol-
ogy were not separate, a triple
conjunction like this would
have been a very great omen.
No wonder the story has sur-
vived for 2000 years.
Conjunctions continue in
our modern skies and right
now, the brightest of the two
players from the past, Venus,
is once again bedazzling the
sky. Look SW and watch this
Diagram c/c Starry Night Education
Venus and Jupiter on June 15, 2 BC, two days before merging into
one brilliant light, a possible origin of the Christmas Star story.
brilliant planet over the next
few months as it gradually
sidles up to a less bright and
slightly reddish Mars farther
east along the ecliptic (the
path of the planets). The two
will be closest at the end of
January, not as close as the
planets in 2 BC, but then we
already have a wonderful
Christmas Star story!
Clear skies and Happy Holi-
days, everyone!
What was the Christmas
Star?
For more information visit
www.bluewaterastronomy.
com
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