Reply to : Bill Gray

>> Seems to me I've heard about a dozen or so possible "Stars of

Bethlehem", such as conjunctions of bright planets, bright planets with
bright stars, planets or stars with the Moon, and comets, and that
doesn't include events such as novae and supernovae that are more difficult
to check.

There _is_ some uncertainty in the Earth's rotation for distant eras
(i.e., uncertainty in the value of Delta-T). But it's not all that great
for dates two millennia ago. I don't see any way you could reasonably say
that this particular occultation of Jupiter by the Moon would have been
noticed in Israel. <<

The argument in favour of the occultation says that it was an
astrological event that had been predicted by the magi, not necessarily an
event that would have been visible.

Richard.


E-mail from: Richard Mallett, 05-Apr-2001