December 21 - 27, 2022
Star light star bright ◆ THE CELESTIAL STAR: The northern skies show a bright light at Christmas. PHOTO: KURT HICKLING
THE Christmas Star has traditionally been associated with the spirit of the celebration. The Star of Bethlehem is one of the best known parts of the Christmas story, celebrated in the Gospel of Matthew as well as in a constellation of Christmas songs. It was the star that led the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus, according to the Bible, but is there anything in the astronomical record that supports the
By KURT HICKLING story of the Christmas Star? Christ’s coming was foretold in Numbers 24:17, “There shall come a Star out of Jacob,” and in Revelation 22:16 he is called “the bright and morning star.” Many have dubbed the sight a “Christmas
Star,” and others have wondered about a similar sounding celestial event that coincided with the biblical first Christmas: the Star of Bethlehem. Stars that appear in the sky today are the same ones that were there two thousand years ago. Was there a nova at the time of Jesus’ birth? The exact time of his birth is not known,
but astronomers cannot place a new star appearance anywhere near the possible time. Could it have been a shooting star? Again, the astronomers say it was not likely. A meteor lasts only a few seconds or minutes at best. The wise men followed the star for weeks looking for Jesus.
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