Nasa's wise scientist finally 'finds the Star of Bethlehem'

"A Nasa astronomer has claimed there is scientific evidence explaining the strange movement of the Star of Bethlehem that led the three wise men to the infant Jesus. Mark Matney, a planetary scientist, pointed to an object recorded by the Chinese from 5BC - a bright comet that was visible for more than 70 days. His analysis in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association comes as the spectacle - also known as the Christmas Star - has proved a subject of debate amongst astronomers."

"With historians typically placing Jesus's birth somewhere between 6BC and 5BC, Mr Matney analysed an object from Ancient Chinese records, identifying a range of possible orbits consistent with the observations. One reconstruction of the object's movement suggested it would have become visible on a June morning in 5BC. Travellers moving south, towards Bethlehem, could have potentially spotted it 'going before' them and then lingering overhead."

"'This is the first astronomical candidate for the Star ever identified that could have had apparent motion corresponding to the description in Matthew, where the Star \"went before\" the Magi on their journey to Bethlehem until it \"stood over\" where the child Jesus was,' Mr Matney wrote in his study. He said a comet that had passed so close by might 'easily have been visible in the daytime' and would have been 'extraordinarily bright'."

A bright comet recorded in Chinese sources from 5 BC was visible for more than 70 days and can be reconstructed with possible orbits that match historical observations. One orbital reconstruction places the object visible on a June morning in 5 BC. Travelers moving south toward Bethlehem could have seen the object appear in the east, move ahead of them, and then linger overhead, corresponding to the Gospel description of a guiding star. A comet passing very close to Earth could have been extraordinarily bright and visible in daytime, offering a non-miraculous astronomical explanation.

Read at Mail Online