• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Experts suggest 'The Star of Bethlehem' was a real astronomical event

Home> Technology> Space

Published 11:00 18 Dec 2023 GMT

Experts suggest 'The Star of Bethlehem' was a real astronomical event

The 'Star of Bethlehem' is said to have alerted people to Jesus' birth

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

There have long been questions over which parts of the Bible are factually correct or not - the Star of Bethlehem included.

The Star (also known as the Christmas Star) is only mentioned in four Gospels, including the Book of Matthew, and is said to have alerted the three wise men to Jesus' birth - sparking their journey to Bethlehem to give the newborn their gifts.

Thought to have occurred around the year 85 CE, astronomers have since weighed in on the idea that the Star could have been a genuine astronomical event.

The Gospel was originally penned in Greek, and 'αστερα' was translated as 'astra' meaning star - but this can also refer to other celestial objects like a planet or comet.

Speaking of IFLScience on the matter, Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, said: "An unusual event like a supernova would certainly be a possible candidate with one having occurred in the year 4 BCE.

Advert

"Alternatively, an event with a strong astrological association, like a comet or conjunction of a planet or the Moon with a star (especially Regulus, the little king) would also potentially have been noted as an event that may herald the birth of an important person."

The Star of Bethlehem dates back thousands of years.
Max Dannenbaum/Getty

One supernova that could have been around the same time as the Christmas Star was RCW103, which appeared to have exploded around 2,000 years ago.

Meanwhile, noting Dr Brown's comments on it potentially being a conjunction - these happen when two or more celestial bodies appear to meet in the night sky from our location on Earth.

Advert

According to Space.com, if there three wise men were to have followed a bright light of a conjunction, they may have been led in a specific direction.

However, if this location did lead them to the birthplace of Jesus, it may have simply been a coincidence...

Some have suggested the Christmas star was a comet.
Anton Petrus/Getty

There have also been questions raised over the years if the Star of Bethlehem was a comet, but there's a key issue when this theory when it comes to giving a point of direction of the three wise men.

Advert

Dr Brown explained: "It suffers from the same problem as every other object in space does: The constant spin of the Earth means that any object that starts in one part of the sky will inevitably move across it over the course of a few hours."

He added that 'if you try and walk towards an object in the night sky you will be constantly changing direction over the course of the day and it won’t point at any specific place'.

It's unlikely we'll ever really know what happened that day, but I'm sure that won't stop people from sharing their theories.

Featured Image Credit: RyanJLane/Liliboas/Getty Images

Topics: News, Space, Christmas, Science

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Asteroid almost hits Earth and experts didn't even notice until hours later
  • Scientists reveal the mysterious reason they think we've received a signal from parallel universe
  • NASA telescope takes mind-blowing photo of the exact moment a star is born
  • Experts reveal what the International Space Station smells like and it's not what you'd expect

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • David Ryder/Getty Images / Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Amazon warehouse employee left stunned by Jeff Bezos' response after she emailed him about her pay

    The woman sent a heartbreaking message to the billionaire, claiming the issue had left her 'behind on bills' and 'crying'

    Technology
  • Getty Images/fotograzia
    2 hours ago

    Space expert urges young people to 'prepare' as he makes bold claim about future of humanity

    It's officially World Space Week

    Technology
  • European Southern Observatory
    a day ago

    Scientists baffled by rapidly expanding 'rogue' planet devouring everything within reach

    Scientists say the discovery 'blurs the line between stars and planets'

    Technology
  • KTVU
    2 days ago

    Parents of college student killed in Tesla crash claim it was caused by one specific design flaw

    The teenager's family has filed a 36-page suit, questioning how Tesla can 'release a machine that's not safe in so many ways'

    Technology