A NASA researcher says he has taken an important step toward elucidating one of the oldest and most fascinating biblical mysteries: the Star of Bethlehem. Planetary scientist Mark Matney proposes the first theory based on modern scientific simulations that could explain the unusual motion of the star described in Matthew’s Gospel.
In a study published in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Mark Matney argues that the phenomenon could be explained by a comet that passed extremely close to Earth around 5 BC.
The hypothesis is based on records by Chinese astronomers, who observed at that time a bright comet visible for more than 70 days, starting in the spring. The date corresponds to the interval in which historians most likely place the birth of Jesus, as Herod the Great — mentioned in the biblical account — died shortly after this year, reports The Times.
The motion of the star, explained by modern simulations
The biblical text describes a star that “appears at sunrise”, guides the magi and “stops above” the place where the baby was born. Such apparently stationary motion is impossible for a celestial body at a great distance, which is why many researchers have considered it either symbolic or miraculous.
Mark Matney, however, offers a different interpretation: the comet observed by the Chinese would have passed so close to Earth that its apparent motion was briefly synchronized with the magi’s trajectory.
Using simulations based on modern orbital modeling techniques, the researcher identified possible orbits that would have brought the comet to a distance of 380,000 – 400,000 km — comparable to the distance to the Moon.
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