<p>The most recent suggestions are that it was a nova or supernova, however no one really knows what the object was. The verbatim records describe it as a star, though it is not certain whether or not it was a "true" star (in those times, a star being any object that had a fixed right ascension and declination). Perhaps it was just a planet.</p>

<p>In any case I suspect it is unlikely you will be able to see it with your naked eye today. Even if you could, its true identity has certainly been lost in history.</p>

<p>Some references for further reading (click on the "<em>Full Printable Article (PDF/Postscript)</em>" link for a PDF of the articles):</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1918PA.....26..150H" rel="nofollow">What was the star of Bethlehem?</a>, S. Hagar (1918)</li>
<li><a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1968ASPL...10..185L" rel="nofollow">Interpretations of the Star of Bethlehem</a>, E. Little (1968)</li>
<li><a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1979QJRAS..20..153C" rel="nofollow">Can we find the Star of Bethlehem in Far Eastern Records?</a>, C. Cullen (1979)</li>
<li><a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu//abs/2005Obs...125..168T" rel="nofollow">The Star of Bethlehem: a type Ia/Ic supernova in the Andromeda galaxy?</a>, F. Tipler (2005)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T15:41:55.743Z
This answer is misleading, it's not known if the event happened at all, let alone say it was a supernova or anything else. We must keep religion and astronomy separated. Religious scholars can't even agree on a date for Jesus birth and for non-christians the story of three kings who followed a star is nothing but fiction.
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T18:37:48.210Z
@eduardoserra did you read any of the links provided here? Especially the last is a decent hypothesis where it would, if it exists. I specifically asked the question here and not on skeptics.se or christianity.se i am specifically interested in the perspective of an astronomer. This is exactly the answer I was looking for. Thanks
Andra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T20:41:29.810Z
I'm happy you found the answer you were looking for, however, I think we shouldn't look for explanations of events that are written in religious books more than an archeologist should seek for fossils of a Satyr: - Isiah 13:21:
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. - Isiah 34:14:
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T21:52:22.813Z
@EduardoSerra did you at all follow the references given?
Andra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T22:47:44.733Z
@EduardoSerra I *am* keeping religion and astronomy separated, and my references attempt to do the same. I am merely laying out the case that no one knows for sure which object it could have been (therefore by extension, there is no certainty over the event itself).
Moriarty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-23T04:44:16.987Z
@Moriarty When you start looking for the celestial cause of a mythical event, you're doing theology, not science.
Marc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-23T06:54:15.797Z
@Marc Perhaps there *was* a nova or supernova around that time, which then bore the legend. The question seeks to find out whether the object referenced in the Bible has a known identity today. The theology is irrelevant - you do not have to believe the Christian tradition to understand it's possible the Bible may reference a real object.
Moriarty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-24T15:18:56.663Z
If such an event really happened, there would have been other references. Other cultures would have noticed. None did. That's pretty strong evidence that the Biblical event never occurred in the real world.
Marc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T10:48:15.347Z
2013-12-23T06:00:46.657Z
2013-12-23T06:00:46.657Z
Moriarty
<p>In the Christian tradition the first Christians are believed to be three wise men who followed the star of Bethlehem to the stable where Jesus was supposed to be born. Is it with some accuracy known if this is an actual star and if so will I be able to see that star during Christmas in North-western Europe?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T15:35:18.630Z
This question proves difficult to answer since you must believe in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew; the only place where a mention of said star is made. Since we can't be sure of it's validity everything else is speculation.
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-20T20:39:21.643Z
This question appears to be off-topic because the subject matter is both subjective and disputed. Feel free to bring this up on meta.
Donald.McLean
<star><amateur-observing>
Can I see the star of Bethlehem at Christmas?
Andra
# Can I see the star of Bethlehem at Christmas?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-20)

In the Christian tradition the first Christians are believed to be three wise men who followed the star of Bethlehem to the stable where Jesus was supposed to be born. Is it with some accuracy known if this is an actual star and if so will I be able to see that star during Christmas in North-western Europe?

**Tags:** star, amateur-observing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question proves difficult to answer since you must believe in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew; the only place where a mention of said star is made. Since we can't be sure of it's validity everything else is speculation.  
> **username_2**: This question appears to be off-topic because the subject matter is both subjective and disputed. Feel free to bring this up on meta.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-12-20. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

The most recent suggestions are that it was a nova or supernova, however no one really knows what the object was. The verbatim records describe it as a star, though it is not certain whether or not it was a "true" star (in those times, a star being any object that had a fixed right ascension and declination). Perhaps it was just a planet.

In any case I suspect it is unlikely you will be able to see it with your naked eye today. Even if you could, its true identity has certainly been lost in history.

Some references for further reading (click on the "*Full Printable Article (PDF/Postscript)*" link for a PDF of the articles):

* [What was the star of Bethlehem?](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1918PA.....26..150H), S. Hagar (1918)
* [Interpretations of the Star of Bethlehem](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1968ASPL...10..185L), E. Little (1968)
* [Can we find the Star of Bethlehem in Far Eastern Records?](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1979QJRAS..20..153C), C. Cullen (1979)
* [The Star of Bethlehem: a type Ia/Ic supernova in the Andromeda galaxy?](http://adsabs.harvard.edu//abs/2005Obs...125..168T), F. Tipler (2005)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This answer is misleading, it's not known if the event happened at all, let alone say it was a supernova or anything else. We must keep religion and astronomy separated. Religious scholars can't even agree on a date for Jesus birth and for non-christians the story of three kings who followed a star is nothing but fiction.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 did you read any of the links provided here? Especially the last is a decent hypothesis where it would, if it exists. I specifically asked the question here and not on skeptics.se or christianity.se i am specifically interested in the perspective of an astronomer. This is exactly the answer I was looking for. Thanks  
> **username_1**: I'm happy you found the answer you were looking for, however, I think we shouldn't look for explanations of events that are written in religious books more than an archeologist should seek for fossils of a Satyr: - Isiah 13:21: But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. - Isiah 34:14: The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 did you at all follow the references given?  
> **username_3**: @username_1 I *am* keeping religion and astronomy separated, and my references attempt to do the same. I am merely laying out the case that no one knows for sure which object it could have been (therefore by extension, there is no certainty over the event itself).  
> **username_4**: @username_3 When you start looking for the celestial cause of a mythical event, you're doing theology, not science.  
> **username_3**: @username_4 Perhaps there *was* a nova or supernova around that time, which then bore the legend. The question seeks to find out whether the object referenced in the Bible has a known identity today. The theology is irrelevant - you do not have to believe the Christian tradition to understand it's possible the Bible may reference a real object.  
> **username_4**: If such an event really happened, there would have been other references. Other cultures would have noticed. None did. That's pretty strong evidence that the Biblical event never occurred in the real world.  

---

