Star of Bethlehem: How does science explain the phenomenon that symbolizes Christmas?

majestic at the top of most Christmas trees around the world, The Star of Bethlehem is the ultimate symbol of the Christian festival. According to the Gospel of St. Matthew, three magnificently dressed men came from the East, following a special star that was interpreted as a sign of the birth of a new king due to its majestic appearance and movement.

However, when we try to understand this phenomenon from a perspective other than the ‘poetic license’ of the apostle who did not witness the birth of Jesus, it may turn out that the star is slightly different from what is described in the holy texts. To give greater credibility to the Bible, Many theologians and many astronomers associated the appearance of the star of Bethlehem with natural phenomena.. See the list of the most well-known associations below.

1 – Was the Christmas star a supernova explosion?

One of the best known theories The Magi saw a supernova explodeIt was proposed by German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who formulated the law of planetary motion in the 18th century. But there is no record of such an event resulting from the explosive death of a star in the West.

And even if such a massive event had been overlooked, today’s astronomers study the signatures of ancient supernovae and estimate their peak brightness. In this sense, the only record that can be seen on Earth of the time when Jesus Christ was born occurred in 185 AD and was recorded by Chinese astronomers.

2 – Could the star of Bethlehem really be a comet?

The explanation that the star of Bethlehem is a comet is older and dates back to the 3rd century Christian theologian Origen. Confirmation of this theory includes: Chinese records of a potential comet in 5 BC and The fact that this spatial object moves across the sky as the Magi saw it.

But at that time, comets were seen as omens of evil and bad luck by both the Chinese and the Magi, Eastern astrologers. If these wise men saw a comet, they would probably run in the opposite direction.

3 – Theory of Jupiter-Saturn conjunction

Kepler also Close conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn are responsible for the creation of the “star”. When modern-day astronomers look back at the motions of the planets using some computer simulations, B.C. It is possible to observe three conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in the year 7.

Because the planets move at different speeds and are located at great distances from each other, they often appear to overlap in the night sky, giving the illusion that they are stationary. or moving backwards (moving backwards). Therefore, if the three conjunctions had occurred relatively recently, it would be possible for astrologers to interpret them as harbingers of something big.

4 – Could Jupiter, the Christmas star, have a fixed point?

Jupiter often appears to move east-west in its apparent “walk” through the heavens. The relative motions of the Earth and other planets simulate the slowing down or even stopping of this motion. The illusion created between the apparent backward motion of the planet and its actual motion is called a fixed point.

Some astronomers hypothesize that this is possible One of these regression points may have occurred directly above the city of Belém., simultaneously and over several nights. Although the movement occurred as described in the New Testament, this hypothesis is unlikely because this event occurs at least twice a year, making it not so special.

5 – Possible conjunction of Jupiter, Regulus and Venus

Finally, there is a famous conjunction that arose as a hypothesis to explain the Christmas star, due to its symbolism rather than its astronomical content: It is the meeting between the planets Jupiter and Venus and the star Regulusone of the brightest in the night sky.

In this house, the natural brightness of the star is accompanied by the context of Jupiter, whose meaning in Hebrew (Sedeq) translates as “justice” and in Roman mythology as “king”. Regulus can be translated from Latin as “prince” or “little king”, while Venus is the universal symbol of love, fertility and birth.

Did you like the content? Stay up to date with more curiosities like this on TecMundo and take the opportunity to explore the true scale of the planets in the Solar System.