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Night sky (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The Bible says that the three wise men followed a star to find where Jesus was born. People refer to that star as the “Christmas Star” or the “Star of Bethlehem.” Did that star come out of nowhere to guide the “Magi”? Or did the birth of Jesus coincide with a heavenly phenomenon?
“This is still debatable. Christians believe it was a miracle, a sign. Theologians believe it was a prophecy and that there is no explanation for the event. However, astronomers worldwide are trying to correlate this with the celestial phenomenon. , particularly the conjunction of planets. ” “astronomer Mario Raymundo told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Friday.
He said that the conjunction of planets occurs annually. However, on December 21, 2020, the planets Jupiter and Saturn would line up so closely with each other, with only 0.1 degree difference or distance, he said.
“We call ‘alignment’ as ‘conjunction’. This would not be the first time that Jupiter and Saturn would align. (The thing is,) these planets were very close to each other 800 years ago. On February 21, 2020 they would return to be too close, “explained Raymundo.
Raymundo, who works at the Philippine Astronomical, Geophysical and Atmospheric Services Administration (PAGASA), said astronomers use data that allows them to calculate when celestial events, the eclipse, would occur. These data also allow them to calculate and analyze when past celestial events occurred, including when they happened in the BC era.
On December 21, he said, people around the world could notice what appeared to be two stars joined together, making them brighter. “Those would look like stars, but they are two planets: Jupiter and Saturn,” Reymundo commented.
People can notice the brightness of these “stars” even tonight (December 11). The peak, he said, would be December 21 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time).
This heavenly event has no effect on the weather, for example, he clarified.
Because astronomers are correlating the “Christmas Star” with the planetary conjunction, Reymundo said there was a “grand conjunction” that occurred in 1 BC. C., and a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, which, according to him, occurred on August 28, 6 BC. C.
“The great conjunction in 1 BC involved the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, and the moon. But this occurred before 5 am. Therefore, it seems impossible that this was the one that the ‘magicians followed. ‘since the sun would rise about 20 minutes later, “he said.
He went on to say that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during 6 BC. C. lasted from night until before 6 am “So this is the conjunction that would probably be the closest to what the ‘magicians’ have followed, if in the case there really is a scientific explanation for that.
Raymundo emphasized that there is still no study in this regard. “There is no scientific data on this and this is still debatable,” he reiterated.
“In my opinion, if there is ever really a scientific explanation behind this, then we could compare it to the conjunction that occurred in 6 BC,” he noted.
He added that the “Christmas Star” is also not related to the winter solstice.
“The winter solstice is a season that occurs around December 21-22. It is when the earth is closest to the sun, and we consider this to be ‘the longest night and the shortest day.’ This has no relation to the conjunction of planets, “Reymundo said. (PNA)
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