American professor thinks Christmas star was planets

An American professor thinks he has figured out what "the star in the East" was that the Bible says led the wise men to Bethlehem. Indiana theoretical astrophysicist Grant Mathews studied NASA databases to come up with his theory, reports ReligionAndSpirituality.com.

He found two supernovas in the right period, but said one was too low on the horizon and the other too dull. He discounted novas and comets because they were believed in ancient times to be a sign of disaster, the HeraldSun.au reported Monday.

He concluded the "star," or sign heralding the birth of Jesus, was probably an unusual alignment of planets when the sun, Jupiter, the moon and Saturn aligned in the constellation Aries around April 17, 6 BC.

Mathews believes the wise men were Zoroastrian astrologers who would have identified the planetary alignment in Aries as a sign a powerful leader was born.

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[01/03/2008]

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