The Star of Bethlehem led the three wise men to Jesus' birth, according to the New Testament. But what was the Star of Bethlehem? There are several theories.

The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of wise men.

Even if the author of Matthew felt the Star of Bethlehem was accurate history and not pious fiction, we'll likely never know the particular event they had in mind. Paper: Chester, Craig.

The Star of Bethlehem wasn't a comet or a supernova. We know that Halley's Comet was visible in the sky in 11 B.C. However, as the Magi trekked toward Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem, ...

However, astronomers have investigated the star of Bethlehem as the birth of a star — a nova — that shines very bright and then fades over a few months. Same problem as a comet — not that rare.

The biblical account. The story of the Wise Men, also called Magi, following the Star of Bethlehem is found only once in the Bible, in Matthew 2:1–12.

The famous Star of Bethlehem may not have been a star at all, but an extremely rare planetary alignment, according to a University of Notre Dame professor. Grant Matthews, professor of theoretical ...

The nova of 1604 was observed by Kepler, one of the greatest of all astronomers, and he was the first to suggest that the Star of Bethlehem might have been such an object.

Close-up of the Bethlehem star at night (Photo: Alyssa Murphy) Founded by Moravians in the 18th century, the journey Mary and Joseph took can also be experienced by residents of the neighboring ...