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Scholars debate whether the Star of Bethlehem is a legend manufactured by the early church or a miracle which marked the advent of Christ. But if the Star was a real astronomical event, what could it have been? IT'S AN ASTRONOMICAL MYSTERY. A strange star is claimed to have appeared at the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. This site is an investigation of the story found in the Biblical Gospel of Matthew, a story often called the 'Star of Bethlehem.' It brings the words of Roman and Jewish historians alongside the visions of ancient prophets. It mixes "modern" mathematicians with...

The modern search for the Star of Bethlehem began with Johannes Kepler (imperial astronomer for Rudolph II of Germany), who shortly before Christmas in 1603 observed a conjunction (pairing) of Jupiter with Saturn from his observatory in Prague. That this occurred in the constellation of Pisces he thought was important as well – perhaps recalling Rabbi Isaac Abarvanel's belief, noted in his 15th-century commentary on Daniel, that not only does a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn foretell important events, but in Pisces this holds a special significance for Israel; and such an event might even foretell the coming of the...

Proof of when the Star of Bethlehem happened and how...

For centuries, historians, scientists and scholars have debated the existence of the Star of Bethlehem in the Biblical telling of Christ’s birth. Now Texas lawyer and professor Rick Larson says he has proven the existence of this celebrated, yet debated, star. He sets forth his case in a documentary, “The Star of Bethlehem.” “Historically, people have taken two positions on the Star,” said Larson in a news release. “Either they believe the Star is true or they think it was made up by the early Church. I took a different approach in my research and treated the Star as a...

Researcher has theory on the 'Star of Bethlehem' - By Rachel L. Toalson San Antonio Express-News 12/13/2003 All she did was ask him to hang a star above the three wise men adorning their lawn that Christmas in 1998. But Marion Larson's request launched her father into a project that, after hours of research, would carry him across the world. "I was tricked into it," said Rick Larson, a former law professor at Texas A&M University in College Station. "I'm not an astronomer, I'm a lawyer. But when you tell a lawyer he has to have a star, he's got...