Paranormal experts are now trying to interpret the Star of Bethlehem. Was it a miracle or an extraordinary astronomical event?

For Christians around the globe, the Star of Bethlehem is one of the greatest symbols of the Christmas season, but its true nature has also been the focus of controversy and debate.

The Gospel According to Matthew is known to be the only book of the New Testament that mentions the mysterious star. Matthew’s account of the story stated, “and having heard the king, they [the Magi] went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was.

And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matt. 2:9-10)
It was to understand that the star or whatever it was moved, and led the Magi to where the Messiah (Jesus) was born.

According to astronomers, stars in their apparent relation to other stars in the night sky, don’t appear to move. They seem to move only in their progression – from east to west – across the horizon as the Earth rotates. They (stars) also appear to move forward across the night sky, again from east to west, over weeks and months as the Earth orbits the sun.

Stephen Wagner of the paranormal.about.com commented, “the magi saw the star in the east and followed it, presumably as it moved toward the west. Now this is all well and good if we are to say they followed its progression across the sky over a number of days or weeks… but then this celestial object did something unusual – it stopped and “stood over where the Child was.” So whatever this object was, stopped in its progression in the sky, according to Matthew, so the magi would know where this child was to be found. No mention is made of all the stars stopping.
Just this one.”

Wagner also said other than the observation that it stopped, Matthew gives it no other special attributes. “The account does not say that it was extraordinarily bright, colorful, twinkly, or anything else unusual. Tradition paints it as an unusually bright star because it somehow got the attention of the Magi. But some research indicates that the Magi were astrologers from Persia. So this star – which could have been quite ordinary in appearance – held some astrological significance for them. But that still does not explain how it was able to stop in the sky.” Wagner added.

Wagner also mentioned other theories about the Star of Bethlehem, for him some
of these theories are logical, and others are wacky as to what this extraordinary star could
have been.

The Supernova theory indicates about a supernova (star) entering a new stage of life, explodes and gives off enormous amounts of light. British astronomer David H. Clark and two associates reported in The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society that a supernova explosion occurred in the spring of 5 B.C. in the constellation of Capricorn.

The Comet theory suggests the star of Bethlehem was a comet because of its nature of brightness and separate apparent movement in the sky with relation to stars.

Astronomers suggested it was the Halley’s Comet that passed overhead in 12 B.C. because no one knows exactly when Jesus was born. Our calendar is based on his birth as being in the year 0, best guesses today place it somewhere around 2 to 7 B.C.

The UFO theory proposed an idea that the star could have been a UFO, an extraterrestrial spaceship that led the Magi to Bethlehem. This explains how the star or the UFO suddenly appeared, moved, and stopped to pinpoint Jesus’ birthplace.

The planetary conjunction theory wants to suggest an idea that the star of Bethlehem could have been the conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. According to 17th century Astronomer Johannes Kepler, the conjunction took place in 7 B.C. in the constellation Pisces – a Zodiacal sign sometimes connected to the Hebrews.

John Mosley of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles believes the star of Bethlehem was a rare series of planetary conjunctions that took place in during years 3 B.C. and 2 B.C. Mosley explained “the show started on the morning of June 12 in 3 B.C., when Venus could be sighted very close to Saturn in the eastern sky. Then there was a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter on August 12 in the constellation Leo – believed to be associated with the destiny of the Jews. Between September 3 B.C. and June of 2 B.C., Jupiter passed by the star Regulus in Leo, reversed itself and passed it again, then turn back and passed the star a third time.”

MSNBC article reported that it was another remarkable event since astrologers
considered Jupiter the kingly planet and regarded Regulus as the King Star. The corwning
touch came on June 17, when Jupiter seemed to approach so close to Venus that, without
binoculars, they would have looked like a single star.

The planet Jupiter Theory according to astrophysicist Dr. Mike Molnar would explain the nature of star of Bethlehem. He believes that the star might have been Jupiter in the form of an ancient coin. The Roman coin depicts the astrological sign for Aires, the Ram – the sign of the Jews. Molnar was quoted, “Jupiter underwent two eclipses by the Moon in Aries in 6 B.C. Jupiter was the regal star that conferred kingships – a power that was amplified when Jupiter was in close conjunctions with the Moon.

With these theories, what do you think the truth about the star of Bethlehem – an
astronomical event, an extraterrestrial manifestation, or was it really a miracle of what
kind and how?