there wasn't any Star of Bethlehem
"Anonymous" <nobody@4096.net> wrote in message
news:2fa5f236249ef15ba7800a332c362bc7@4096.net...
On Sun, 24 Dec 2006, "TJ-BF" <r4@att.net> wrote:
x-no-archive: yes
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385
MSNBC
The Star of Bethlehem has left its mark on the gospels as well as a
constellation of holiday songs. Was it purely a divine sign, created
miraculously to mark Jesus' birth? Or was it an astronomical event in its
own right? John Mosley, program supervisor for the Griffith Observatory
in
Los Angeles, says there are several scientific scenarios for the "Star of
Wonder."
Through the years, astronomers and others have proposed a variety of
objects
for the Christmas star - comets, an exploding star or a grouping of
planets.
Some suggest that the star was a miracle created especially by God. Such
a
suggestion cannot be proved or disproved, and it is entirely outside the
realm of science. But there's no need to resort to miracles, given the
actual astronomical events of the time.
The first thing is to determine the approximate date of Jesus' birth.
Then
we look into the sky of that period and try to identify the star. It
doesn't
work the other way around: Since virtually any year can boast at least
one
reasonably interesting sky event, the astronomy must follow the history.
Ruling out prime suspects
Let's assume, as many historians have, that the most likely time frame
for
the birth of Jesus was between 3 B.C. and A.D. 1. Let's also assume that
the
Star of Bethlehem could be observed by skywatchers elsewhere in the
world,
and not just by the Magi - who are known as "wise men" or "kings" but
were
actually priests who relied on astrology.
These assumptions would rule out some of the prime suspects in the
mystery:
comets, brightening stars known as novae, and exploding stars known as
supernovae. The Chinese, who did a particularly good job of cataloging
astronomical phenomena, recorded no such phenomena during the years in
question.
Beyond the timing issue, there's another consideration: A comet or
supernova
big enough to attract the wise men's attention would have been widely
noticed by royalty and commoners as well. But King Herod and his advisers
seemed not to know or care about the star until the astrologers from the
east came to visit.
However, if we suppose that the "star" actually referred to the planets,
the
situation is less problematic. The movements and groupings of planets in
the
night sky were of exceeding interest to astrologers and were closely
tracked
around the world. Historical records and modern-day computer simulations
indicate that there was a rare series of planetary groupings, also known
as
conjunctions, during the years 3 B.C. and 2 B.C.
The show started on the morning of June 12 in 3 B.C., when Venus could be
sighted very close to Saturn in the eastern sky. Then there was a
spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter on Aug. 12 in the constellation
Leo, which ancient astrologers associated with the destiny of the Jews.
Between September of 3 B.C. and June of 2 B.C., Jupiter passed by the
star
Regulus in Leo, reversed itself and passed it again, then turned back and
passed the star a THIRD time. [1] This was another remarkable event,
since
astrologers considered Jupiter the kingly planet and regarded Regulus as
the
"king star."
The crowning touch came on June 17, when Jupiter seemed to approach so
close
to Venus that, without binoculars, they would have looked like a single
star. [1, 2]
Rewarding search
The whole sequence of events could have been enough for at least three
astrologers to go to Jerusalem and ask Herod: "Where is he that is born
King
of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the east and are come to
worship
him."
Now, this doesn't mean that astrology works. We haven't ruled out other
possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem. And the mere existence of
interesting celestial events does nothing to prove that the birth of
Jesus
was accompanied by a star, that the Magi existed, or even that the
Nativity
took place as described in the Bible.
But it does make our search more rewarding to find a truly interesting
astronomical event that happened during the most likely time for the
Nativity.
This article is based on John Mosley's 1987 book, "The Christmas Star,"
which is available from the Griffith Observatory. "The Christmas Star"
addresses many other questions about the season, such as: When was Christ
born? Who were the Magi? Why is Christmas observed on Dec. 25?
---
[1] Sept. 14, 3 B.C then Feb. 17, 2 B.C. then the third time on May 8,
2
B.C.
June 17, 2 B.C., Jupiter (and Venus) again came into conjunction
near
Regulus, so close as to appear as one shining light until they set in the
west, toward Jerusalem as seen from Babylon (aka, Mesopotamia; in
present-day Babil Province; approx. 50 mi. south of Baghdad, Iraq
today--how
appropriate with the present Iraq War presaging His return!). [The Magi
(in
the Gospel of Matthew) were Babylonian astrologers.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon
[2] Venus and Jupiter (at their respective peaks) are by far the two
brightest planets as seen from Earth; with the possible exception on
Jupiter, when Mars is at its most brilliant at a great opposition time.
---
Live Vote
"What's your view on the accuracy of the Bible?" (361,544 responses)
(Not a scientific survey.)
Every detail is literally true. 35%
Some details may be inaccurate or exaggerated, but the fundamentals are
true. 33%
The Bible is fundamentally fiction, incorporating some historical facts.
27%
None of the above. 5%
---
References:
[SCIENCE only]
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/index.html
Astronomy 161: The Solar System
See also the book, "The Star That Astonished the World" by Ernest L.
Martin;
who sets the date of Jesus' birth sometime in 3 B.C.
http://www.bethlehemstar.net/
Star of Bethlehem
http://www.eclipse.net/~molnar
Revealing the Star of Bethlehem
http://sciastro.net/portia/articles/thestar.htm
The Star of Bethlehem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem
Star of Bethlehem
http://www.griffithobs.org
Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
.
