Can astronomy provide an answer to the mystery of the Christmas star?
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him... After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2
The Christmas Star, or the Star of Bethlehem, is mentioned only in chapter two of the book of Matthew, an account written between 50 and 70 AD. But this story of a bright star leading the magi, or wise men, to the birth of Jesus Christ has become an iconic symbol of the Christmas season.
Looking at the story of the magi and the stellar beacon from a scientific point of view, is it possible to determine what exactly the "star" was that heralded the arrival of a baby boy to the wise men? If you believe the account was more than just a story and the star was more than a story-telling device, then you need to analyze the sky around the time of Jesus's birth to find what may have played the role of the Star of Bethlehem.
The three main astronomical objects that could be responsible for the unusually bright star denoting an important event include a comet, a supernova, or a conjunction of planets. But any search of history or tour with planetarium software will quickly reveal that none of these three events occured on or around December 25, 2006 years ago.
However, most scholarly evidence points to the birth of Jesus occurring between 7 and 1 BC, with 4 BC being one of the most often used years. The time of year for Jesus's birth also points to a warmer month than December. One of the reasons is that the shepherds were out in their fields tending to their flocks when the angels came to them. This would happen in a warm month but probably not a winter month such as December.
A supernova did occur within the above time frame. Supernovae, once referred to as "guest stars," were regularly recorded by Chinese astronomers. And in March and April of the year 5 BC, a supernova appeared in the constellation Capricornus. This star that suddenly appeared glowed for approximately 70 days before fading again.
Comets were recorded in both 5 BC and 4 BC. The comet in 4 BC, in particular, is a good match because it fits with the year most commonly believed to be the actual time of Jesus's birth and the comet that appeared that year did not have a tail, making it more "star-like." However, comets were often considered ill harbingers, and not signs of good fortune.
Conjunctions of planets occurred throughout the years mentioned, but the one most often cited as a good possibility for the Christmas Star is the one which occurred on June 17, 2 BC. On this date, Venus and Jupiter appeared so close together in the evening sky, at a tiny 6 arcseconds apart, that they would have appeared to be one very bright star. Venus shone at -4.3 and Jupiter at -1.8 as they appeared to merge in the constellation Leo. This would have been a significant sign for ancient astrologers, who were viewed as scientists in those days, reading the heavens. Leo was the ruler constellation, and this impressive conjunction would have certainly been noticed by the wise men of the time.
If none of these astronomical options sound like good solutions to the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem, then maybe you will have to simply explain it as a Christmas Miracle.
For further reading, try the web site on The Star of Bethlehem by Susan S. Carroll or Michael Molnar's alternative dating of April 17, 6 BC and his reasons for this finding in The Star of Bethlehem.
