Star Of Bethlehem | Celestial Phenomenon - Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos Star of Bethlehem

• Introduction
• Biblical account
• Naturalistic explanations

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics Images Contents Science Astronomy print Print Please select which sections you would like to print:

• Table Of Contents

CITE verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Star-of-Bethlehem-celestial-phenomenon Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• BBC News - Star of Bethlehem: The astronomical explanations
• Biblical Archaeology Society - What was the Star of Bethlehem?
• Live Science - What was the Star of Bethlehem?
• Space.com - What was the Star of Bethlehem?
• NPR - The Star Of Bethlehem And The Magi: Myth Or Reality?
• University of Cambridge - What was the Star of Bethlehem?
• Royal Museums Greenwich - What was the Christmas Star?
• Learn Religions - What Was the Christmas Star of Bethlehem?

Star of Bethlehem celestial phenomenon Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: Christmas Star Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

Star of Bethlehem, celestial phenomenon mentioned in the Gospel According to Matthew as leading “wise men from the East” to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Natural events that might well have been considered important omens and described as stars include exploding stars (novae and supernovae), comets (Halley’s Comet was visible in 12 and 11 bce), meteors, and planetary conjunctions—i.e., apparent close approaches of two or more planets to each other.

Biblical account

The year of Jesus’ birth is uncertain but can be narrowed down to probably between 6 and 4 bce. The biblical account in Matthew 2 indicates two sightings of the star, one before the Magi began their journey (probably from Babylonia or Persia) and the other near their journey’s end, when the omen “stopped over the place where the child was.” A celestial object near the horizon of any given observer might be understood as pointing out some spot on Earth below.

Naturalistic explanations

Chinese annals record novae in 5 bce and 4 bce; in the early 17th century, Johannes Kepler advanced the view that the Star of Bethlehem may have been a nova occurring in or near some conjunction of bright planets.

Location: Bethlehem West Bank (Show more) See all related content

Several striking planetary conjunctions also took place within 10 years of the chronological point now taken as the beginning of the Christian era. A triple conjunction in early 6 bce, in which Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn stood at the points of a triangle, has often been mentioned as a possible explanation of the star. Prior to that, in 7 bce, Jupiter and Saturn were for eight months within three degrees of each other and three times within that period passed within one degree. Several years later, on June 17, 2 bce, the bright planets Venus and Jupiter would have appeared to observers in Babylon to have merged just before setting in the general direction of Bethlehem to the west.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.