[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Hi All,

Was just browsing around some astro pics and a thought struck me.

Most of the pictures and drawings I have seen depicting the star of Bethlehem that the three wise men followed to find the baby Jesus show the star with noticeable diffraction spikes!

Now my question is this (and without descending into anti-religious sentiment and discussion);

Is the depiction of this star reproduced in literature and in images from scientific observations of stars through reflectors and therefore drawn with diffraction spikes to indicate the brightness of such a star in the sky?

I dont know of any device of the "time" of the event that would have produced such flaring around the star, perhaps its just a modernisation of what we think a bright star looks like now (a la Sirius etc.)

Is there a simpler explanation? Is this how all bright stars are depicted through history, or simply since the invention of a reflector that produces the spikes? I know that refractors don't produce the same thing.

Makes you think.

I suspect that later drawings of the scene naturally depict the star like the people at the time would view it and therefore its just a matter of scientific progress updating History or Religion?

Hmmmm, discuss........?

Not meaning to cast aspersions on anything anyone believes in, just thought it was an interesting topic of discussion.

P.s. Moderators: perhaps this thread should be in the Astronomy Science forum? Not sure.

Cheers

Chris