December 4, 2001 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) - If God had placed a neon sign in the sky, "New King this way!," with a flashing arrow pointing to the stable, all of Jerusalem would have found their way to the party. But, says Einstein, "Subtle is the Lord." And as usual, Einstein proves correct. According to scripture, only the Magi saw the Star of Bethlehem. No one in the court of Herod the Great, most likely the current king, knew what star the Magi meant when they said, "We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him." The Magi, who were kings, magicians, or astrologers from another land (possibly Babylonia, Persia, or Egypt), must have observed the star over a long period of time. The trip by camel to Israel from any of the above places of origin could take from a month to a year or two, depending on the number of stops along the way. And the Magi might have lost track of the star. Scripture says they rejoiced to see it as they left Jerusalem on the five-mile trip south to Bethlehem. Astronomical events which could be of interest to serious star gazers include: comets and meteors, nova or supernova (stars which become very bright for months or years), auroras, and the favorite candidate for The Star, a planetary conjunction. The popular conception of a comet, a big bright ball with a long tail, sounds like a neon sign, but if you tried to catch a glimpse of comet Halley in 1986, sighting comets can be subtle indeed. In 1 B.C.E. (before current era), comet Encke lost a piece of its tail as it passed earth's orbit. The fragments caused the Taurid meteor showers; which occurred around 1 and 0 B.C.E. A new meteor shower would excite even occasional sky watchers (how many of your friends watched the Leonids of 2001?), but why would three "wise men" find significance in a shower with a radiant in Taurus The Bull? Chinese records tell of "Guest Stars" in the spring of 5 and 4 B.C.E. Most likely though, the brightness of these nova or supernova would have been observed by Herod's folk. Which brings me to my favorite candidate. In 7 B.C.E., Jupiter and Saturn aligned with each other three times. Passings during this triple conjunction occurred in May, September and December. Interestingly, the passings occurred in the constellation, Pisces the Fish, which, I've been told, is astrologically connected to the Hebrew nation. Triple conjunctions occur about every 140 years with one in Pisces every 900 years. This triple conjunction would be a very unusual and significant event to astrologers from Babylonia. One conjecture is they saw the first passing at home, left for Jerusalem, and got there in time for the second or third passing to guide them to Bethlehem. 16th century German astronomer Johannes Kepler knew of this conjunction, and since his time, astronomers have connected the triple conjunction with the star. As you note from the above, the star may have occurred on December 25, year 0, as the current celebration date would infer. The truth is that firm information about Jesus's birth date is sparse to say the least. Luke gives the only firm clue, that Jesus was "born in the reign of Caesar Augustus" which was 36 B.C.E. to 14 C.E. So any astronomical event in that period could have been the Star. The reign of Herod the Great ended in 4 or 5 B.C.E., but the next king was another Herod, so the Magi could have talked to either. The plot can get thicker and there are a few books on the topic. You can make your own choice for the star with a decent chance of being as wrong as I may be. But don't be confused or distracted by the mystery of the "star of wonder." Step outside your house some night in December and look up at the sky. Despite light and air pollution created by thoughtless or careless humans, you can still see the stars. The symbolism is apparent. A small clear light, on a cold dark night, in a sometimes cold and dark world, leads the wise to the message of Jesus. The message tells us to love each passenger who journeys with us on this small, fragile, planet Earth. (Dr. Fred A. Grosse is a physics professor at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa.) Contact: Betsy Robertson 570-372-4119 #br/1165#