'Christmas Star' to appear in sky Monday

This Monday could be called a once in a lifetime event, but that would only be accurate if you plan to reach the age of 400.

The Winter solstice happens every year on Dec. 21, marking the longest night of the year. This Dec. 21 there will appear something in the sky -- barring the almost ever-present cloud cover in this area -- that has not occurred since 1623 and would not have been visible to the unaided eye since 1226.

Astronomers call it the "conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter." The more poetic among us call it the "Christmas Star."

A conjunction is simply when a planet appears to pass close to another planet or star as viewed from Earth.

Over the next few days leading up to the conjunction on Monday, stargazers can see Jupiter and Saturn moving closer by looking toward the crescent moon in the western sky about 45 minutes after sunset.

The two giant planets will be close to the horizon after sunset on Monday, but astronomers say those who remember to look west soon enough should see what appears to be a large star. A simple telescope will allow the viewer to see both planets and some of their moons.

The moon will almost be new, so there will be less light to obscure the view.

This conjunction, being clearly visible to the unaided eye and occurring this close to the date we celebrate as Jesus Christ's birthday, has been held up as a sign that God has not forgotten nor forsaken us -- although this year of pandemic and hurricanes may seem that we are being punished by a displeased Father.

Jupiter and Saturn have a conjunction every 20 years, but they seldom appear as close as they will with this one. The planets will be about 0.1 degree apart on Dec. 21. In 2040 they will be 1.1 degrees apart.

The next time the conjunction comes anywhere near this year's event will be 2080, when the planets will appear to be about 0.2 degrees apart. It won't be this close again until 2417, followed by a conjunction in 2477 equal to the 2080 event and the 1683 conjunction that followed the close-close conjunction of 1623.

A LONG-STANDING DEBATE

The question concerning the Star of Bethlehem has been debated for almost 2,000 years.

Many say it was a miraculous, one-time creation with the sole purpose being to guide the magi from the east to worship Jesus -- similar to the pillars of fire and smoke that led the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Those seeking to find a natural answer -- one that would send a message to the intended audience of astronomers in Persia -- focus on conjunctions involving Jupiter.

Even back before the solar system's largest planet was named Jupiter, it was considered to be the "king planet." Ancient astronomers knew it was different from fixed stars because it moved across the sky.

Some even believe that Jupiter alone was the Christmas Star.

Modern astronomers have tried to determine the year of Christ's birth by trying to identify the planetary conjunctions. Because Herod died in 4 B.C., most scholars reason that Jesus was born in 4 or 5 B.C. The Gospels indicate Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled to Egypt after the "slaughter of the innocents" and returned after hearing of Herod's death.

They note there was a conjunction with Jupiter around that time, but it was a kind of conjunction that would not have been mistaken as a single star.

Jupiter and Saturn neared each other in late 7 B.C., but did not line up like the Dec. 21 event will do. Mars joined them in early 6 B.C. to form a triangular alignment in the constellation of Pisces.

To stargazers who placed specific importance in stars, planets and constellations, this sent a message that a ruler had been born in Israel. Pisces, the Fish, was and is associated with the prophecies of the Jewish Messiah.

The symbol of the fish, which also looks like the Greek symbol for infinity, was and still is a symbol for Christ. In the Old Testament, Joshua -- whose name is the Hebrew for Jesus -- was the "son of Nun." "Nun" means "fish."

And then there was the very special importance that four fishermen -- John, James, Peter and Andrew -- had on Jesus' mission on Earth.

Some believe the story of the star may have occurred later than 6/7 B.C. because of a series of celestial "messages" in 2/3 B.C.

According to online sources, one major astronomical sign would have been the conjunction of Jupiter ("King Planet") and Regulus ("King Star") in the constellation of Leo ("Royal Constellation") three times between 3 B.C. and 2 B.C. -- Sept. 14, 3 B.C., Feb. 17, 2 B.C. and May 8, 2 B.C.

This attention-getting trifecta was punctuated with a bright conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on June 17, 2 B.C. in the western sky. The heavens sent a "P.S." on Aug. 27, 2 B.C. when Jupiter and Mars had conjunction.

This almost fits -- the magi arrive in Jerusalem in May after following the moving Jupiter for almost eight months and then see the stationary "star" over Bethlehem in June. The problem is the timeline with Herod's death in 4 B.C. The Bible specifically mentions Archelaus being named to rule Judea after his father's death. That historical fact occurred in 4 B.C.

MANY THEORIES

There are many other theories, ranging from an angel to "it never existed," depending on one's level of faith.

But what is true today is, like the Persian magi of 2,000 years ago, people see symbolism and messages in what happens in the night sky. We may not cower in fear when we see a comet or wonder if the moon or sun will ever come back during an eclipse, but rare and awesome events are not lost on us.

Perhaps this "Year of the Christmas Star" is a message from Someone who doesn't own a cell phone and doesn't have enough stamps to send us all a Christmas card.