Christmas Star?????????

[roccop]

Hey Everyone,


Wifey just got off the phone with one of her friends.

She mentioned to her that this Monday a very bright star will be visible.


What star is it?


Her friend called it a 'christmas star'



Cheers

Roc

[Terry B]

Venus is in the west after sunset.

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

and not just visible on Monday

[MortonH]

But Monday is the close conjunction of Venus & Jupiter, isn't it?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Originally Posted by MortonH

But Monday is the close conjunction of Venus & Jupiter, isn't it?

Yep, see Smiley Face Conjunction Thread here

[mozzie (Peter)]

might be a sad face if this weather doesnt clear

[Blue Skies (Jacquie)]

Originally Posted by roccop

She mentioned to her that this Monday a very bright star will be visible.
What star is it?

The 'star' in question is most likely Venus, but it wont just be visible on Monday night. Venus has been visible in the evening sky since late September, and it will be there for several months to come. Monday is a special day because it is when Venus will be closest to Jupiter in the sky, a conjunction if you like, but technically it isn't (I think the correct term for this an appulse), plus the moon will be there to make a very pretty sight.

[Ian Robinson]

On the matter of mythical Xmas Star :

Most likely the 3 wize men and xmas star thing never actually happened , else Mary and Joe and Jesus would have :
= been set up of life (the gifts would have made them very wealthy)
= there'd be records of the star in the histories (like no one else would have noticed it .... give me a break !!!)
= stars do no move the way the bible says this did.

I'm betting it was a story added after the event by the one of the writters of the bible and figment of that person's imagination.

[erick (Eric)]

This is interesting:-

http://askelm.com/video/real/xmas_star.swf

[KenGee (Kenith Gee)]

I'm with Ian there is no reason to belive the Christmas story is not completely made up. There are a number of stories along the same line that predate this one, so it may be a common theme for fairy tales back then.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by KenGee

I'm with Ian there is no reason to belive the Christmas story is not completely made up. There are a number of stories along the same line that predate this one, so it may be a common theme for fairy tales back then.

While having coffee with a very nice lady who wanted my math input to design a rainbow patten for the handle of her drum bag.... the subject came up about the bright star and the magi I think she called someone following..but I got the trip and the expectation and the confirmation I was being enlisted to endorse...and so with out being sure I agreed that this star may well be etc..
I get tired of trying to expalin reality when everyone has their own version.

So I sold out in the interest of some nice company...

alex

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by erick

This is interesting:-

http://askelm.com/video/real/xmas_star.swf

Nope .... I don't buy ultraclose conjunction of Jupiter and Venus one either , this kind of thing will have happened regularly over the centuries and will not have been all that terribly special , and Herod's priestly astrologers , and those of the Romans , and those of the Greeks and Persians, and Egyptians have made no mention of the event. I suspect if there any substantiating and collaborating observations or references to seeing such a strange celestrial object had been uncovered by archeologists and historians by now , the Roman Catholic Church would have jumped on it quicker than Jack Flash and made a big song and dance about it (PROOF of yet another miracle .... etc etc .... well you get the drift)

Plus the fact that no one actually knows Jesus' actual birthday or even the year he was born , or really where he was born , and Xmas was pagen festible that was appropriated many decades after Jesus died (if he actually was crucified and killed that is) .

So ....

Conclusion : did not happen .

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

While having coffee with a very nice lady who wanted my math input to design a rainbow patten for the handle of her drum bag.... the subject came up about the bright star and the magi I think she called someone following..but I got the trip and the expectation and the confirmation I was being enlisted to endorse...and so with out being sure I agreed that this star may well be etc..
I get tired of trying to expalin reality when everyone has their own version.

So I sold out in the interest of some nice company...

alex

Yep. "where ignorance is bliss, it is foolish to be wise"

Bill

[MrB (Simon)]

I thought I read somewhere years ago(hence dodgy memory)... in a book or astro-mag... that the chinese had a record of a star that brightened around that time, and in modern times this had been linked to a supernova and now nebula?
Perhaps it got debunked, was a year or two out or something?

[mozzie (Peter)]

had a look through my bino's at venus and jupiter with the moon some 10 odd degress below should be a great sight tomorrow night weather seems god for east coast

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Nope .... I don't buy ultraclose conjunction of Jupiter and Venus one either , this kind of thing will have happened regularly over the centuries and will not have been all that terribly special , and Herod's priestly astrologers , and those of the Romans , and those of the Greeks and Persians, and Egyptians have made no mention of the event. I suspect if there any substantiating and collaborating observations or references to seeing such a strange celestrial object had been uncovered by archeologists and historians by now , the Roman Catholic Church would have jumped on it quicker than Jack Flash and made a big song and dance about it (PROOF of yet another miracle .... etc etc .... well you get the drift)

Plus the fact that no one actually knows Jesus' actual birthday or even the year he was born , or really where he was born , and Xmas was pagen festible that was appropriated many decades after Jesus died (if he actually was crucified and killed that is) .

So ....

Conclusion : did not happen .

There was an analysis of this in S&T a while back. From memory: Jesus was supposedly born under the reign of Herod; the census Joe and Mary were attending occurred after Herod's reign; the Jupiter-Venus conjunction also occurred after his reign but not necessarily in the same year as the census; the census likely occurred in August. The 'guiding star' story has been used before and since the Jesus story. The guide star was in the west but the last stage of the journey of the 'wise men' was from north to south.

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

There was an analysis of this in S&T a while back. From memory: Jesus was supposedly born under the reign of Herod; the census Joe and Mary were attending occurred after Herod's reign; the Jupiter-Venus conjunction also occurred after his reign but not necessarily in the same year as the census; the census likely occurred in August. The 'guiding star' story has been used before and since the Jesus story. The guide star was in the west but the last stage of the journey of the 'wise men' was from north to south.

In otherwords the Xmas Star story is a load of crap and it never actually happened . .

[Greg Bryant]

You might want to read the forthcoming January issue of Australian Sky & Telescope magazine (in the mail this week and onsale next week).

The Christmas Star might have been something different to the people of 2000 years ago.