Astronomers Find Evidence of the Birth of Jesus Christ – Eastern Star Mystery Solved

Editorial, CNBC Indonesia

Tech

Sunday, 12/31/2023 07:20 IWST

Photo: CNBC Indonesia/Muhammad Sabki

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – For many years, astronomers have disagreed about the appearance of the Eastern Star, which is known through a story in Christmas traditions.

The Eastern Star is said to have guided the three kings of the Magi to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The Eastern Star is also called the Christmas Star or Star of Bethlehem.

In the Bible, it is stated that the three kings of the Magi came from the east to Bethlehem because they saw the star that marked the birth of the King of Israel.

For centuries, researchers from various backgrounds have tried to find facts about the Eastern Star. The Gospel of Matthew written in 85 AD in ancient Greek uses the word “astra”.

According to IFL Science, astra can not only be interpreted as stars but also other celestial objects such as comets or planets.

“There’s a lot of debate about what the Eastern Star really is,” says Greg Brown of the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

“A unique event such as a supernova is one candidate, and was recorded to have occurred around 4 BC. Apart from that, other events such as the alignment of planets, the Moon and stars, could also be recorded as events that marked the birth of great people,” he continued.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the appearance of the Eastern Star is a story added without a real celestial event. However, if it really happened, here are some “events in the sky” which were later described as the appearance of the Christmas Star.

Eastern Star Supernova

The positions of stars in the sky change only slightly, even over long periods of time. If a star “suddenly” appears in the sky, it is probably because it suddenly shines very brightly. An event known as a supernova.

Supernovas are very rare. The oldest event was recorded by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD as a mysterious “guest star” visible for 8 months in the sky. Then, there was Kepler’s supernova which was visible for 18 months starting in 1604.

There is also RCW103, which is the remnant of a supernova that exploded 2,000 years ago. Then, there is the Hulse-Taylor pulsar in the constellation Aquila. Records of Korean and Chinese astronomers place the Hulse-Taylor explosion event between 4 BC and 2 BC.

It could also be that what the three wise men saw was a nova, which is a white dwarf that temporarily increases in brightness. When material attracted by gravity hits the surface of a white dwarf, the star glows very brightly.

Nova is more common than supernova. There is about a new nova every 18 months that is visible to the naked eye.

Lines of Celestial Objects

It is possible that what the three kings of the Magi saw were some objects. When two celestial bodies appear to be at the closest point to a third point. When this event occurs, the light shining from the two objects appears as a single light source.

“Depending on the object, they can be visible very close in the sky in certain periods of time. Conjugate [posisi segaris] “those involving the moon can last for a few hours, while planetary ones can last for several days,” said Brown.

There are several planetary events in alignment or conjugation that occurred in the period around the ladder which is believed to be the year Jesus was born. One of the closest in time is the conjugation of Jupiter and Saturn.

The problem is, this event will not look “special” from the surface of the Earth. Events that may seem more “unique” are the conjugation of the stars Regulus, Jupiter and Venus in 3 BC or the conjugation of Venus and Jupiter in 2 BC.

The problem, according to IFLScience, is that celestial events are not reliable guides. Earth’s rotation means that the position of a celestial object appears to move from a certain point every few hours.

Therefore, there is another interpretation, namely that the Eastern Star is a comet moving across the sky.

Moving comets can be interpreted as directions that observers on Earth can follow. For example, as a travel guide to Bethlehem.

“The Eastern Star has often been interpreted as a comet for a long time, but actually the problem is the same. The rotation of the Earth means that the position of an object continues to change over several hours. Apart from being a guide to north and south, your direction of travel will continue to change if you follow a celestial object,” Brown said.

(fab/fab)

2023-12-31 00:20:00
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