Local Astronomer Helps Understand The Star Of Bethlehem
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The star of Bethlehem remains a mystery to many, but astronomers have built a theory that points to a rare gathering of planets creating the dazzling light that guided the three wise men.
According to Franklin Institute Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts, people of ancient times view virtually everything in the sky as stars:
"The objects they understood were the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. They didn't know what planets were either. They knew that what we now called planets were brighter stars than the other stars and they also knew that they were moving stars or what they called wandering stars. and the others were fixed stars."
In this case, Pitts says several stars -- or planets -- wandered into the same neighborhood.
"And that's a triple conjunction of Jupiter with Saturn that took place in the constellation Pisces that took place on May 29th, Sept. 29th and then again on December 4th of 7 BC."
This created a brightness that literally brought people to their knees.
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