The past is full of legends and the present is full of explanations. At least it tries to be so. We love to explore real-life natural phenomena that can explain seemingly supernatural events described in myths and religious texts. This year we wondered where the whole story of the Star of Bethlehem came from. And it turned out that we were far from the first.
One thing can be said with complete certainty: whatever the three wise men, or “wise men from the East” actually followed (there is no reason to believe that there were three of them, but this is a completely different topic), it was definitely not a star. We did a little digging in the books and selected some of the most interesting theories about what they could see in the sky in that fateful year for humanity.
Comet
The comet version is a clear favorite when it comes to popular explanations for the Star of Bethlehem phenomenon. She has even been featured on Christmas cards for a long time. Moreover, it might not be just some nameless comet.
The fact is that Halley's comet passed by the Earth about 11 or 12 BC. Although we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, it could have been at that time.
The only problem is that comets were well known to the wise men of astronomy. Moreover, they were considered bad omens. So we can probably dismiss this hypothesis.
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Supernova
Here again we are dealing with an excellent candidate that fits perfectly into the anticipated period of time. Chinese and Korean astronomers observed a supernova just around 5 BC. And a bonus: if this is the correct answer, then it was the star that led the Magi through the desert.
The only problem is that, as the ancient scientists wrote, this supernova was barely visible in the sky. This is a big disadvantage. And it is not suitable for the top of the Christmas tree. So, we delete this theory as well.
Venus
There is one thing that has always seemed a little strange to us. The Bible refers to the "star in the East," right? However, the Magi came from the East … so wasn't it a "star in the West" from their point of view?
Well, some astronomers suggest that this is not so much a literal location in the east, but rather a connection with the East, or sunrise. In other words, maybe it was a star that rose in the morning, just as the Sun always comes from the east.
What star can claim this "morning" status? Of course, the planet Venus is best suited for this role. However, we are not particularly sure of this. Too many controversial assumptions.
Solution that "contains holy water"
There is one answer that actually seems to quite accurately reflect what the Bible says about the Star of Bethlehem. Astronomer David Hughes put forward a theory based on one important assumption: it was not one cosmic phenomenon, but three. More precisely, it was one event that happened three times at different times.
The obvious explanation, says Hughes - is that it was an incredibly rare triple conjunction of planets - when Jupiter and Saturn line up with Earth. In 7 BC, the two largest planets in our solar system lined up perfectly not once, and not even twice, but three times, on May 29, September 29 and December 4. This triple alignment occurs once every 900 years or so, so the event was actually unusual. Of course, any enlightened sages or sorcerers could easily have taken him for a sign. As Tim O'Brien, deputy director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, told the BBC: "It's amazing how attractive it is to humans to see two very bright objects merging together in the sky."
The idea is that the wise men might have known that a king predicted by the prophets would be born in Israel. And when they looked up to heaven in their hometown, perhaps Babylon, they could take this bright glow as a sign that it was time to hit the road. The second conjunction of the two planets could have happened when they left Jerusalem, which would be a signal that they are on the right track. And the third connection could be read as a warning not to tell King Herod about what they saw. You know, this is probably a convincing version. Plus, Saturn's rings will look great on top of a tree.
Igor Abramov