Christmas Star Geo-Art
This series is being published in conjunction with the Farewell to Fall 2025 Community Celebration Event on Dec. 20. This cache will not be found at the published coordinates but the final coordinates can be worked out quite easily.
What was the Christmas Star?
Through the centuries there have been many discussions as to what the Christmas Star really was. Some conclude that it is only a myth. Others conclude that it is a verifiable historical event.
The Greek word, generally translated as 'star' (αστερα - astera/astra from which we get 'astronomy') can also mean planet, or could refer to other objects such as a comet.
Roman historian Cassius Dio observed a comet over Rome for several days in 12 BC. Since the actual date of Christ's birth is not known, He may have been born several years earlier than believed. At this date, Halley's Comet was slightly north of two stars, Castor and Pollux, which passed through the zenith over Bethlehem. Therefore, the comet would have been directly over Bethlehem as well.
Johannes Kepler's Stella Nova
Johannes Kepler was one of the greatest scientists of the Renaissance, and one of the first to note this phenomenon. His discovery of the laws of planetary motion was one of the foundation stones of the Scientific Revolution. Yet he saw no inconsistency between science and religion, and was eager to use his mathematical genius to determine the correct birth date of Jesus.
In the years 1604-1605, a supernova appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus. This generated considerable discussion in Europe. Kepler kept a detailed record of his observations on the star. In the preceding year, December 17, 1603, he had also witnessed a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, with Mars moving into the vicinity soon after. This is known as the 'great conjunction' and occurs every 19.86 years. The supernova appeared in the vicinity of these planets.
Kepler calculated that a similar conjunction had occurred in the year 7 BC. On that occasion it had been a much more rare triple conjunction, one that only occurs every 793 years.
Modern calculations indicate that the planets appeared approximately twice the moon's diameter from each other in the sky, and therefore would not appear as one star. For this reason, Kepler made it quite clear in his writings that the Star of Bethlehem was most likely a new star, a supernova.
A supernova is an exploding star. For someone on Earth, it could have appeared nearly as bright as the moon, all concentrated in one point in the sky. This is bright enough to cast shadows at night, and to be visible in the daytime sky. Peak brightness for this kind of phenomena lasts for 7 to 14 days, with the star remaining visible for months.
The search for a scientific explanation for the star is ongoing. It may have been a supernova, or a miracle of its own. The Star of Bethlehem is something that may never be explained beyond what we are told in the Bible. The star is used to this day around Christmastime as a symbol of Christ's coming into our world.
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