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The two planets Saturn and Jupiter orbit the sun like the earth. In their orbits, they regularly approach each other, so that from the perspective of the earth they move opposite each other. About every 60 years what astronomers call a “grand conjunction” occurs.
Anyone who catches the fog hole can see a show.
However, the two largest planets in our solar system have not been as close to each other as they were on Monday evening. Due to the fog, it is likely to be little seen on Monday. But if you see a fog hole, you can see this “great conjunction” in the southwest with the naked eye, says Franz Mädler of the observatory in Ursensollen in the Upper Palatinate district of Amberg-Sulzbach.
Possible explanation of the “Star of Bethlehem”
This constellation of stars could also be an explanation for the biblical “Star of Bethlehem”, but it cannot be scientifically proven. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, paragraph 9, it says about the wise men from the east: “And the star that they had seen coming out went before them to the place where the child was; there it stopped.”
Due to the different counting methods of the calendar, the year 7 BC is considered the actual year of the birth of Jesus in science. This year, astronomically speaking, such a “great conjunction” took place three times, as can be seen on Monday.
In the early 16th century, the astronomer and natural scientist Johannes Kepler also associated the biblical “Star of Bethlehem” with a “great conjunction”, and even with a supernova.
Supernova or comet?
He assumed that the biblical phenomenon was both a constellation of stars between Jupiter and Saturn and an explosion of a star at the end of its life, a supposed “supernova.” According to the current view of astronomers, this interaction is out of the question. Franz Mädler also considers it highly unlikely that it could only have been a supernova.
The third variant of the “Star of Bethlehem” is a comet. But even this variant is out of the question for scientists to explain the biblical phenomenon. It dates back to the Italian Renaissance painter Giotto, who claims to have seen Halley’s Comet. This comet is visible to us on Earth about every 75 years, says Mädler. Giotto was the first to paint the “Star of Bethlehem” above the stable, with a comet-shaped tail, in a portrait of the birth of Christ.
Scientific proof is not possible
Due to different ways of counting the calendar, as well as different astronomical records and interpretations, the “Star of Bethlehem” is not scientifically verifiable at present. Faith also plays a role and the different interpretations of the genesis of the Bible.
In the 3D planetarium of Ursensollen – unfortunately currently closed – there is a show on the theme “Star of Bethlehem”, which ends with the note: “Whoever believes in a miracle when Jesus is born, there is not a single scientist who can I can prove otherwise “.
Hope for clear skies when night falls
Monday afternoon’s “grand conjunction” is best seen in the evening, but only when the sky is clear. So the planet Jupiter does not cover the planet Saturn completely, but they come very close in their orbits around the sun. Saturn is at least ten times bigger and Jupiter 15 times bigger than Earth. Therefore, the astronomical event would also be visible to the naked eye if the sky were clear.
