The planet Venus has been blazingly bright recently – a stellar point of light which may be similar to the one that is said to have guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem, says Delaney, a senior lecturer in York’s Faculty of Science & Engineering and coordinator of the observatory on campus. Recently, Venus has been bright enough to cast a shadow if you are in a very dark location. Visible by 5:30 p.m., it’s been changing position in the evening sky very rapidly, sinking into the horizon by about 7 p.m. This bright planet will be visible for about two more weeks, says Delaney.

Could it be the same type of heavenly light that some believe guided the Wise Men to a humble stable in Bethlehem?

Astronomically speaking, there are three main theories about the star that guided the Wise Men. One was that the star was a bright planet – or a conjunction of bright planets. Historical records show Jupiter and Saturn came close to each other at about that time, says Delaney, and if Venus were part of that conjunction of planets, it would be stunningly bright to witness.

The other theories are that the star may have been a very bright comet that moved very quickly from night to night, or a supernova, which would brighten ferociously and then die off in weeks.

“Astronomy can’t tell us what the Wise Men saw,” says Delaney, “but it is not because astronomers lack observations from the time.”

“The astronomical records around that time are quite complete. The bigger problem is to know when the actual birth of Jesus may have occurred. Scholars have speculated a range of years, from a few years BC to a couple of years AD, with no specific date being preferred,” says Delaney. “Until we are certain about the date of Jesus’ birth, we cannot be sure what type of astronomical phenomenon the Wise Men saw.”

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For more information, contact:
pdelaney@yorku.ca