..HH +6GzHH d'h,<KTLLF`F` 33of (kqHH Gl m=h4` m=h2 G]DH2HA.?.?</??< N O oser conjunction 59 years earlier should have alerted the Babylonians. With this in mind, an American astronomer, Roger Sinnott, has checked out the positihe posi Helvetica Helvetica0d0d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .@(>` mJ(LF`  m$HxB?<LF` DF 󬀾7@     ?7xE*@Ha"Rlose passes of each other known, astronomiDecember 6, 1996. Copyright, 1996, Graphic News. All rights reserved THE ENDURING RIDDLE OF THE CHRISTMAS STAR By Julie Mullins LONDON, December 6, Graphic News- At this time of year, what appears to be a particularly bright star is often visible in the night sky reminding many, no doubt, of the Star of Bethlehem. This is, in fact, the planet Venus, one of many astronomical objects cited in trying to understand this most enduring of enigmas. Just about the only fact that can be stated with any degree of certainty is that Jesus was not born on December 25, 1AD. Christians did not celebrate his birth until at least 350AD and then, fairly arbitrarily, chose a mid-winter celebration the Romans called Saturnalia. In the 6th century, a monk called Dionysius Exiguus decided to standardise the calendar, counting back to Jesuss birth. He missed out four years in the rule of Octavian, and so, by our reckoning, Jesus was probably born sometime around 4BC. The Wise Men were most likely Babylonian priests who derived much of their wisdom from astrology. They were particularly sensitive to heavenly portents, especially to what they called wandering stars and today we call planets. In 7BC, Jupiter and Saturn made three close passes of each other known, astronomically speaking, as a triple conjunction in the constellation of Pisces. Pisces was associated with the Jews, Saturn represented both justice and Palestine, while Jupiter was King of the gods thus the conjunction could have been interpreted as the coming of a Messiah. The problem with this theory is that St Matthew refers specifically to a single star, and Jupiter and Saturn were not that close together. As others have pointed out, a much closer conjunction 59 years earlier should have alerted the Babylonians. With this in mind, an American astronomer, Roger Sinnott, has checked out the positions of other planets and has found that on June 17, 2BC, the two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, approached so closely that they would have appeared to merge. The only problem is that Jesus was born during Herods rule and, by this time, Herod was almost certainly dead. Others have suggested comets, which appear as bright, elongated objects in the sky and give a sense of pointing towards the horizon. The mediaeval painter Giotto di Bondone depicted a comet above the Wise Men in his Adoration of the Magi. Artistic licence led him to borrow Halleys Comet, which was visible in the year he painted the work. However, Halleys Comet had appeared in 12BC, far too early for Christs birth. The ancient Chinese, who were assiduous observers of the heavens, recorded a reasonably bright comet in the spring of 5BC. According to Professor Colin Humphreys of Cambridge University, this may fit the bill, and the triple conjunction two years earlier may have alerted the Magi to be on the alert for heavenly portents. But there are no records of this comet from the Middle East. In 1992, Ivor Bulmer-Thomas suggested that the star may have been Jupiter alone, which appeared to stand still in the sky on September 23, 5BC. His evidence came from recently deciphered cuneiform texts from Babylon which prove that astrologers could predict these events quite accurately. A similarly intriguing possibility emerges from analysis of coins from Antioch dating from around this period. Michael Molnar, of Rutgers University, has found that they depict astronomical events that would not have been seen but could have been calculated. He believes that when Jupiter emerged from behind the crescent Moon just after sunset on the evening of March 20, 6BC, it might not have been visible because it was engulfed in twilight. But the Babylonians may have been aware of its presence and this could have prompted their journey. Sources: Astronomy y 'Now, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist, Royal Astronomical SocietyI Times ItalicKlang MTL Helvetica LightLB Helvetica BlackLBI Helvetica Black ObliqueLI Helvetica Light ObliqueMonacoNew Berolina MTOld English Text MLF`0 @(>` mJ(LF` ;0 rch into the Work Performance of Older Employees, Peter RR (pp. 473-480) Continuing Training until