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Grendel
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Well we all know Dec 25th isn't Jesus' birthday, it's just celebrated then. We also know that mid year has been suggested by many people over the centuries as more likely an that the year ranges a few either side of year dot... ie a few bc and a few ad.
Bethlehem star ‘found’
Bryan Patterson
Monday, December 08, 2008 at 11:47am
An Australian astronomer believes he has answered the riddle of the Bethlehem star, even narrowing down the date of Jesus’ birth to a day.
The guiding star that led the three wise men, or magi, to the birthplace of Jesus Christ is one of the most lasting symbols of biblical mythology.
News editor of Sky and Space magazine Dave Reneke says complex charting software has allowed astronomers to map the night sky as it would have appeared more than 2000 years ago and has revealed a spectacular astronomical event at the time of Jesus’ birth.
“It’s like a digital map where we can move forward in time as well as backwards,” Mr Reneke explained.
Generally accepted research has places the nativity to somewhere between 3BC and 1AD.
Using the Bible book of Matthew as a reference point, Mr Reneke pinpointed the planetary conjunction to an exact date in 2BC.
Similar to the planetary alignment of the “smiley face” witnessed across the Western sky last week, he said a “beacon of light” would have been visible across the eastern dawn sky as Venus and Jupiter moved across the constellation of Leo on June 17, 2BC.
The conjunction of the planets was so close, he said the planets would have appeared as one bright star even with the naked eye.
“ Mr Reneke said the story of the Christmas star is of particular emotional significance.
“It cuts to the heart of what it means to be human beings,” he said
“Often when we mix science with religion in this kind of forum, it can upset people. In this case, I think this could serve to reinforce people’s faith.” NEWS.COM
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Star of Bethlehem (Read 1086 times)
