Transcript Astronomical Research and Education at PARI

Pisgah Astronomical
Research Institute
One PARI Drive
Rosman, NC 28772
828-862-5554
www.pari.edu
Welcome to Evening
at PARI
The Star of Bethlehem
Dr. Mike Castelaz
Dr. Bob Hayward
Ms. Christi Whitworth
Two Questions
1. When was Jesus born?
2. What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
Jesus was born 8-4 B.C.?
• Herod began his reign about 38 B.C. and
reigned for 34 years.
• There was a lunar eclipse coinciding with a
Jewish festival the night Herod died –
possibly March 13, 4 B.C.
• The magi visited Herod before
he died. He chose to kill
children up to 2 years old.
Therefore, the star must have appeared at
least 2 years before the death of Herod.
Jesus was born 3-2 B.C.?
• Herod may not have died until at least 1 B.C.
He was removed from office by Caesar
Augustus in 4 B.C. but later killed his three
sons.
• The lunar eclipse of January 9, 1 B.C. on the
date of his death is a better fit than that of
March 13, 4 B.C.
• Again, the star must have appeared at least 2
years before the death of Herod.
When was Jesus born?
Probably between
8 B.C. and 2 B.C.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
What could have occurred in the skies
over the Middle East between 8 B.C. and
2 B.C. that was interpreted so
significantly?
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
A Star?
Stars
• In ancient times everything in the sky was
a “star.”
• Even today we use the term loosely:
• Venus or Jupiter is the “Morning or
Evening Star.”
• Meteors are “Shooting or Falling Stars.”
• So, stars in general were too well known to
be seen as so significant.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
A Comet?
A Comet…
• Can be very
spectacular
• Appear for
days, if not
weeks
Comets are made up of:
• frozen water, frozen carbon
dioxide, and frozen ammonia.
• silicates like those found in sand.
• carbon that makes the nucleus
dark.
As comets orbit and approach the Sun,
they begin to heat up and develop a tail
Were Comets recorded?
• The Chinese recorded comets in 5
and 4 B.C.
– 5 B.C. comet with a visible tail
– Possible comet in 4 B.C.
– Halley’s comet was seen in 12
B.C.
However…
• Comets would have
been considered bad
omens not one to
celebrate.
• No bright comets were
recorded in 3-2 B.C.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
A Meteor?
Meteors
StarrySkies.com
Meteorite
MeteorWatch.com
Meteor Shower
spaceweather.com
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Peaks 1:40 a.m. EST January 4
I don’t think it was a
meteor…..
Meteors are very
common but fleeting
phenomena.
• It’s hard to imagine the
Magi following something
so transitory.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
A Supernova?
Supernovae
• Exploding stars
• About once
every 100 years
a naked-eye
supernova
occurs.
• Can be very
bright and last
for months.
Was one observed?
A nova was recorded in
Capricorn 5 B.C. in March
or April
Sorry…
• No one else saw the Star of
Bethlehem other than the Magi.
• It’s to be expected that we would
find records of the Chinese
observing it.
• Even Herod’s advisors would have
been aware of it. There is no
mention that they were; Herod had
to ask the Magi where they had
seen it.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
A Planetary Conjunction?
Planets
• Seven ancient planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars,
•
•
•
•
Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon and the Sun
They MOVE!
They make loops in the sky – retrograde loops.
Sometimes they pass each other –
conjunctions.
If they pass each other during a retrograde
loop, we can have a triple conjunction.
Triple Conjunction of 7 B.C.
• Jupiter – King of the planets and Star
of David
• Saturn – Protector of the Jews
• Triple conjunction
– May 29
– September 29
– December 4
May 29, 7 B.C.
September 29, 7 B.C.
December 4, 7 B.C.
Other Planetary Configurations
• February, 6 B.C. - Jupiter, Saturn and
Mars in Pisces
February 6 B.C.
Other Planetary Configurations
• February, 6 B.C. - Jupiter, Saturn and Mars
•
•
•
•
in Pisces
May 19, 3 B.C. – Saturn and Mercury
followed by June 12, 3 B.C. – Saturn and
Venus
September 14, 3 B.C. and February 17 and
May 8, 2 B.C. – Triple conjunction of
Jupiter and Regulus
June 17, 2 B.C. – Jupiter and Venus
appear as one in Leo
August 27, 2 B.C. – Jupiter, Mars, Venus
and Mercury in Leo
I don’t think it was
a conjunction…
• Conjunctions were too
well known.
• Nobody, especially
the Magi, would have seen just the
appearance of one of these as having
special portent.
What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
?
.
.
.
A Miracle?
Happy Holidays!
The End
References
• Marshall, Roy K. The Star of
Bethlehem, The Morehead
Planetarium, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 1949.
• Mosley, John. The Christmas
Star, Griffith Observatory, Los
Angeles, CA 1987.
Caesar Augustus
• “And it came to pass in those days, that there
went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that
all the world should be taxed.” Luke 2:1 (KJV)
• There were three great taxations of Roman
citizens during the reign of Caesar Augustus –
28 BC, 8 BC and 14 AD. Roman temple
inscription near Ankara, Turkey
When was Jesus born?
Scenario No. 1
Herod
• In September, 31 BC he defeated Mark Antony
and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium.
This was the 7th year of Herod’s reign. Flavius
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
• Herod fell ill at about age 70 “that very day
which the Jews observe as a feast (the
Purim?)…and that very night there was an
eclipse of the Moon.” Flavius Josephus,
Antiquities of the Jews
Lunar Eclipses During this
Period
• November 18, 8 BC
• March 23, 5 BC
• September 25, 5 BC
• March 13, 4 BC
• January 9, 1 BC
• December 29, 1 BC
Which one fits?
March 13, 4 BC
is the only eclipse of the Moon which
coincides with a Jewish festival.
When was Jesus born?
Scenario No. 2
• In 4 BC Augustus removed Herod from the
throne. Herod’s son Antipater took the
throne. He was later killed by Herod. Some
historians believe Herod died in early 1 BC.
• The March 13, 4 BC was only a partial eclipse
and occurred in the early morning hours. It
preceded Passover by only 30 days…not
enough time for events to take place.
Lunar Eclipses
• The January 9, 1 BC eclipse was a total eclipse
that started about 11:30 pm. It preceded
Passover by 3 months.
• So…some historians argue Herod died in 1 BC.
The Murder of the Children
• “When Herod realized that he had been
outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he
gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem
and its vicinity who were two years old and
under…” Matthew 2:16 (NIV)
• So the star must have appeared at least two
years before the death of Herod, i.e., 6 BC or 3
BC.
• Josephus does not mention this event.
Herod
• “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
during the time of King Herod, Magi from the
east came to Jerusalem…” Matthew 2:1-7
(NIV)
• Herod became king during the 184th Olympiad
and ruled for 34 years. Flavius Josephus,
Antiquities of the Jews