21st November 2009
Could the Christmas Star Be a Meteor or a Comet?
What was the Star of Bethlehem, in astronomical terms? Initially it was thought that it was an remarkably bright fireball meteor seen streaking toward the horizon. But as many astronomers and lovers of the night sky recognize, such an object can be discovered to flash across the sky in a bare matter of seconds scarcely long enough to lead the Magi halfway across the Orient to the little town of Bethlehem. So we can confidently dismiss this concept.
Not so easily disregarded, however, is the theory that the Star was a glorious comet. Comets can remain visible to the unaided eye for weeks either in the evening sky or at dusk. It is not unattainable to consider that a comet with a bright star-like head and long gossamer tail pointing like some cosmic finger toward the visible horizon could have drawn the Magi to Bethlehem.
The celebrated Halley’s Comet, last seen in early 1986, also blazed up in the sky during August and September in the year 11 BC. However, most agencies dismiss it due to the poor time correspondence. Although it looks unbelievable that another great comet could have shown up nearer to the recognized time frame of the Stars appearance and went unrecorded, we can never really be confident.
Besides, comets were viewed as portends of evil, such as earthquakes and famine as well as the end not the birth of kings and monarchs. The Romans, in noting the death of the Roman General Agrippa, for example, used the 11 BC apparition of Halley’s Comet as a benchmark. With this in mind, comets would seem to be mistaken as the heavenly sign that would signal the coming of a newborn king.
