Saturn and Jupiter, the two largest planets in the solar system, are due to align this evening and form a “star” in the night sky leading to speculation that this heralds the return of the biblical “Star of Bethlehem”.
According to Eric Vanden Eykel, associate professor of religion at Ferrum College, a private college in Virginia in the US, writes on the not-for-profit journalism website The Conversation that when Jupiter and Saturn cross paths this evening, they will for a moment “appear to shine together as one body”, appearing the closest they have for eight centuries.
With the conjunction occurring on the winter solstice, just before the Christmas holiday, he writes, “the timing has led to a speculation whether this could be the same astronomical event that the Bible reports led the wise men to Joseph, Mary and the newly born Jesus – the Star of Bethlehem.”
However, as a scholar of early Christian literature, his own belief is that it is unlikely to be the “fabled star”.
Astronomer Deirdre Kelleghan is among those who have been blogging about tonight's conjunction.
Guy Consolmagno SJ, director of the Vatican Observatory writing in The Tablet, notes that December is “Star of Bethlehem” season to those who give public talks on astronomy.
He concedes that this year is special because one of the more popular explanations is actually playing out in the heavens overhead, visible to anyone with a clear sky.
“Look soon after sunset for Jupiter, the bright ‘star’ to the west; nearby is a somewhat fainter yellowish spot of light, which is Saturn.” All month, Jupiter has been creeping closer to Saturn. “On 21 December they’ll be so close together that your naked eye won’t be able to tell them apart.”
He continues that nobody’s expecting another Saviour to be born anytime soon, although admits that is also what they thought 2,000 years ago.
He goes on to contemplate the appeal of stargazing, and why the Christmas star is a subject of continuing fascination to so many people.
“I am fascinated myself not by the science of what the star might have been... but by how this story continues to hold the human imagination.”
In turbulent times much like these, full of wars and plagues, St Ignatius of Loyola found “the greatest consolation … from gazing at the sky and stars, and this he often did and for quite a long time”.
Fr Consolmagno says “The beauty of the stars and planets – and the way we can calculate their location – reminds us that we are still under the protection of the One who created both the stars and the laws that control their motions.”