The Star of Bethlehem
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Sir Colin Humphreys 1991
The then Head of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science at Cambridge published an article about the Star of Bethlehem in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1991[1]. Professor Humphreys contributed a similar article to Science and Christian Belief[2].
From the Abstract for the article in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society....
- Astronomical and historical evidence suggests that the Star of Bethlehem was a comet which was visible in 5 BC, and described in ancient Chinese records. A comet uniquely fits the description in Matthew of a star which newly appeared, travelled slowly through the sky against the star background and 'stood over' Bethlehem. It is proposed that a remarkable sequence of three astronomical events stimulated the journey of the Magi: the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BC; the massing of the three planets Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in 6 BC; and finally the appearance in 5 BC of the 'star of Bethlehem', a comet initially in Capricornus.
Notes
- ↑ Humphreys CJ (1991) "The Star of Bethlehem - a Comet in 5BC - and the Date of the Birth of Christ", Q Jl R astr Soc, vol 32, pp 389-407. For free download from https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1991QJRAS..32..389H as at 05 Jan 2024.
- ↑ Humphreys C (1995) "The Star of Bethlehem", Science and Christian Belief, vol 5, pp 83-101. For free download from https://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Astronomy-Cosmology/S&CB%2010-93Humphreys.html as at 05 Jan 2024.
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