Wisut Nuallaong

🎅⛪ 𝙈𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨! 𝙂𝙤𝙙'𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 & 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩'𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙟𝙤𝙮.
🌠Christmas Star It appears in the account of Jesus' birth in the Bible (New Testament), Matthew chapter 2:1-12, as the "star" that guided the Magi to the infant Jesus in the manger.

“Where is the child who was born king of the Jews? I saw his star in the east and came to worship him.”
(Matthew 2:2)

In astronomy, astronomers have studied historical records for centuries in search of evidence to explain the "Star of Bethlehem," with discussions on this topic beginning at least as early as the 13th century. There are hypotheses that it could be a supernova explosion, a comet, a solar flare, or a planetary conjunction, as well as the hypothesis that it doesn't refer to any particular celestial phenomenon at all. However, even today, scientists still don't have a definitive answer as to what the "Star of Bethlehem" is.

In this article, we will explore the various concepts or hypotheses regarding the "Star of Bethlehem" as an astronomical phenomenon and how scientific explanations support each concept.

⭐️Hypothesis 1 - explosion (supernova)
In 1978, American astronomer A. J. Morehouse proposed to the Canadian Astronomical Society that the "Star of Bethlehem" might be the supernova explosion that is now the remnant of the pulsar PSR B1913+16 in the constellation Aquila, which occurred around 4 BC and also appears in historical records of China and Korea.

In 2005, American physicist and cosmologist Frank J. Tipler proposed that the "Bethlehem Star" might be a supernova in the Andromeda galaxy. However, this hypothesis is very difficult to verify due to the limitations of astronomical observational technology, which makes it challenging to detect supernova remnants in other galaxies.

⭐️Hypothesis 2 -
Some early astronomers suggested that the "Star of Bethlehem" might have been a comet that passed close to Earth. Comets are balls of ice, dust, and rock from the outer solar system that appear brighter as they orbit into the inner solar system due to radiation from the Sun. Some comets are so bright that they can be seen with the naked eye for weeks, and historical records often mention comets as supernovae.

Ancient Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of the "Broom Star" around 5 BC, which researchers interpreted as a comet. In the 1970s, Christopher Cullen, a researcher in the United Kingdom, became interested in the timing of the "Broom Star"'s appearance and suggested that the "Star of Bethlehem" might be a comet. However, doubts remain, as ancient views often considered comets to be omens of disaster rather than the birth of a saint.

⭐️Hypothesis 3 - conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn, or Venus and Jupiter.

Using astronomy software, it's possible to simulate the past movement of planets and use it to investigate planetary conjunctions (where two or more planets appear close together) that may have occurred during Jesus' lifetime.

Around 7 BC, Jupiter and Saturn occurred three times in the constellation Pisces. Because this phenomenon happened three times a year, considered relatively frequent in a short period, ancient astronomers (who at that time didn't clearly separate astronomy and astrology) may have interpreted it as a sign of something. However, Jupiter and Saturn appeared almost 1 degree apart (approximately twice the apparent size of a full moon), so these conjunctions may not have been particularly remarkable.

In 1614, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler suggested that these Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions might be the "Star of Bethlehem."

In addition to Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions, there was also a Venus-Jupiter conjunction 3 BC, on August 12th. In this conjunction, the two bright planets appeared only 0.1 degrees apart, so close that they appeared as a single star in the early morning (similar to the angular distance between Jupiter and Saturn during a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction). In the early evening of late December 2020, Venus and Jupiter appeared close together again two years before Christ, on June 17th.

To this day, astronomers have not been able to definitively confirm the nature of the "Star of Bethlehem." However, this uncertainty reflects the charm of human inquisitiveness and the pursuit of knowledge. For Christians, this star remains a symbol of hope, joy, and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

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🔱The St. Michael the Archangel Prayer was written by Pope Leo XIII around 1885. It is said that the pope had a vision of evil oppressing the Church and wrote the prayer in response. It is not a liturgical prayer but it can be prayed communally. In light of recent events in the Church; Bishop Stika has requested that every parish in our diocese offer the St. Michael prayer after the concluding prayer of the Mass for a year beginning on September 29th (the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael). The prayer assures us of God’s triumph over Satan and evil and God’s love and protection of the Church.

✝The strength of St. Michael the Archangel is found in his name which means “Who is like unto God?” It is a rhetorical question bringing with it the awareness of the transcendence, omnipotence and majesty of God. In art, St. Michael is often presented as a warrior casting Satan down to the ground. This is a symbolic presentation of the singular truth of Michael’s name overcoming and casting down the pride of Satan who (in his foolishness) thought that he was greater than God. Who is like unto God? No one – no creature, no pride, no arrogance, no sin, no power nor principality – is like unto God. All is cast down before God and St. Michael stands in witness to this. The victory belongs to God.

YHVH