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Star of Bethlehem
celestial phenomenon that according to the New Testament revealed the birth of Jesus to the Wise Men / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star,[1] is a star in the Bible and Christian tradition that let the Magi know that Jesus was born, and later helped them go to Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the star made the magi travel to Jerusalem.[2] There they met King Herod of Judea, and asked where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod's advisors said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, a nearby village, because of a prophecy in the Book of Micah. While the magi were going to Bethlehem, they saw the star again. The star stopped above the place where Jesus was born. There, the magi saw Jesus with his mother, worshipped him and gave costly presents to him. They then returned to their "own country".[3]
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Christians usually think of the star as a miraculous sign to show the birth of the Christ. Astronomers have thought of many different explanations for the star. A nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction (planets coming together) have all been suggested.
Some scholars say that the story is not historically right and that the star was not real.[4]
The Star of Bethlehem is a well-loved subject at planetarium shows during Christmas,[5] but the Bible seems to suggest that the magi visited Jesus at least several months after he was born.[nb 1] The visit is usually celebrated on Epiphany (January 6) in Western Christianity[6] and on Christmas (December 25) in Eastern Christianity.