Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 13 · column 8 of 9 · from the scan, no model involved
evolution and have become unstable. These exploding stars abruptly rise to great brilliance, then lose their luminance slowly over a period of weeks.
“This theory has potential," Chamberlain says. "A nova could be bright enough and last long enough to lead the wise men on a long journey to Bethlehem.
“In addition,” he continues," a nova would certainly be the most dramatic explanation. What could be more exciting than to have a 'new star' appear on the night that Christ was born?"
One recent study of ancient Chinese and Korean records indicates that a nova may have appeared in 5 B.C., but there is no definitive account that such an event took place.
Or A Conjunction
The theory most widely accepted by astronomers today was put forth in the IhOOs by German astronomer Johannes Kepler. Kepler suggested that the Christmas star was really a ''conjunction" of planets.
A conjunction occurs when two or more planets appear to pass by each other in the sky. Using ancient sky records, astronomers have verified that the planets Jupiter and Saturn appeared in conjunction not once but three times between 7 and (> B.C. — a relatively rare phenomenon.
A conjunction would explain the lack of other records, since it most likely would have gone unnoticed except by those, like the Magi, who were trained to watch the sky.
A conjunction takes on even more significance when viewed from an astrological standpoint. The ancient astrologers would have considered conjunctions to be highly sumliolic events. To them, conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn held special significance—Jupiter, symbolic of the king of the gods, and Saturn, said to be the protector of the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean.
In b B.C.. the planet Mars joined Jupiter and Saturn following the third conjunction. according to the records. All three planets appeared in the constellation of Pisces (the Pishes), which signified to the astrologers the House of the Hebrews.
While the triple conjunction is the most widely accepted theory, it is unlikely that we will ever know for certain what produced the Christmas “star". But whether the star was supernatural or part of the natural order of things, the story of the Star of Bethlehem has endured as a symbol of Christmas.
61.8%