General
Was Jupiter The Star of Bethlehem? by Gary Nugent
[Mar 31, 2008]
A couple of years ago, a U.S. astronomer said he had uncovered the first reference to the star of Bethlehem outside the Bible, in the 4th-century writings of a Christian convert who wanted to hide the astrological roots of the celestial phenomenon.
For centuries, scientists and scholars have debated about the nature of the Biblical light that led the Magi to the newborn Jesus. Some have suggested a comet or supernova.
But Michael Molnar concluded that the star was actually a double eclipse of the planet Jupiter roughly 2,000 years ago.
"The Mathesis", a book written in 334 A.D. by Firmicus Maternus, an astrologer of Constantine the Great, described the astrological event involving an eclipse of Jupiter by the Moon in the constellation of Aries (the sign of the Jews), and said that it signified the birth of a divine king.
And now, heralding the onset of Christmas, Jupiter is back in our skies, low in the west in the early evening.
It's the largest planet in the Solar System, has a retinue of 63 satellites (at last count) and shields Earth from inbound comets. One of it's moons, Europa, is suspected of haboring an ocean beneath its icy crust, one that has a very good chance of supporting life.