A Mathematical Analysis of the Star of Bethlehem

According to the link below mathematical analysis of the concept of following the star of Bethlehalm clearly demonstrates that whoever wrote the account had no understanding whatsoever of astronomy.

The analysis Takes into account that

∙ It is impossible to look up with sufficient accuracy to bring you within 100 km of the house (α = 1°), and far less 10 km (α = 0.1°);
∙ The speed at which one has to travel to follow the projection of the star on the earth exceeds the speed of sound;
∙ The star would remain above the house in Bethlehem for less than a second;
∙ The time frame during which star could appear above the house in Bethlehem is fractionally small. For Venus this period is 58 seconds every 485 days (±15m from the house);
∙ The chance that the star, the earth and Bethlehem could ever align correctly in space and time is infinitesimally small; and
∙ All of this had to coincide with the birth of Christ,

From the analysis it can be concluded that one can categorically state that the possibility of the Magi having located the birthplace of Christ by following a star is identically zero.

www.riaanbooysen.com...

An alien "star" ship perhaps?

a reply to: DpatC

Suppose it depends on what they were smoking at the time.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: DpatC

Suppose it depends on what they were smoking at the time.

Another valid possibility.

Are shrooms native to that part of the world?

a reply to: Mach2

Frankincense, Myrrh and Marijuana my guess.

All of which probobly cost gold.

a reply to: DpatC

Yep totally impossiblity ...which makes it a absolute mark of a supernatural event

But was it a star...remember, the writers could only write what they comprehend to be a star... but even still, it is so, a very bright light in the sky

a reply to: DpatC

Weren't the 3 wise men (magi) astrologers? If so, actual astronomical mathematics has nothing to do with it. It was simply an astrology prediction which correlated with the time and place.

a reply to: DpatC

I believe the myth of the Star of Bethlehem is a usurpation and conflation of the very real event of "Caesar's Comet". en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: CynConcepts

The only reason we think there were 3 magi is because of the song and the 3 gifts. Supposedly, there were anywhere between 2 and 12 people.

The star of Bethlehem is supposed to have been a rare double eclipse of Jupiter.

As you said, they supposedly knew of the celestial event and were proceeding to where the second eclipse would be directly overhead.

The wisemen didn't know they would find Jesus in a manger. They wandered for a while, stopping at Herod's and relaying the story of a child born under the star, and kept wandering until they happened to find the very place they were looking for.

It's not like they had GPS even though you'd think there'd be at least one angel saying "Turn around when possible" and "You have arrived at your destination"

Some say it was three wise women with a casserole, diapers and wine.

a reply to: DpatC



God gave us free will to demonstrate our faith, when presented with what seems impossible.

a reply to: DpatC

The author makes some incredible assumptions based on very little evidence
You can’t look at biblical statements with your presentism mindset
A star, could have been any type of light in the night sky, maybe Caesar’s comet as sookie suggested

Reality we have no idea what it was and assumption is silly

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: DpatC

The author makes some incredible assumptions based on very little evidence
You can’t look at biblical statements with your presentism mindset
A star, could have been any type of light in the night sky, maybe Caesar’s comet as sookie suggested

Reality we have no idea what it was and assumption is silly

Assumption is silly, that's why dpatc referenced very basic mathematical techniques regarding specific details of a well known story. I fail to see where assumption is displayed. Time and place doesn't change astrophysics which operate today as they did in BC. Even speculating Caesars comet suggests a narrative tampering that threatens to discredit the conventional interpretation of the nativity scene.

Double post

Wow, you haven't read the Bible at all? There is so much wrong with this post.

Start by reading the birth of Jesus in the gospel for one.

The star didn't lead the wise men to the house/stable that Jesus was born in. It led them to the country.

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

They saw "his star". Which led them to the country's capital, where they asked around to find out where he was. Which sadly led to the killing of many children. Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt to avoid this.

There was a planetary conjunction in the constellation associated with the Jews which led the wise men to Jerusalem. It's a widely known and popular theory that you could have easily found using the Internet. I believe it occurred around 6BC? Also the conjunction occurred once, then due to retrograde occurred a second time.

originally posted by: TzarChasm

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: DpatC

The author makes some incredible assumptions based on very little evidence
You can’t look at biblical statements with your presentism mindset
A star, could have been any type of light in the night sky, maybe Caesar’s comet as sookie suggested

Reality we have no idea what it was and assumption is silly

Assumption is silly, that's why dpatc referenced very basic mathematical techniques regarding specific details of a well known story. I fail to see where assumption is displayed. Time and place doesn't change astrophysics which operate today as they did in BC. Even speculating Caesars comet suggests a narrative tampering that threatens to discredit the conventional interpretation of the nativity scene.

What can you tell me about this “well known story”
Anything more than wisemen followed a star

Ludicrous you can call it a well known story. Hell you don’t even believe in the bible so just Why?

It may well discredit the narrative to you but you don’t accept it anyway, what’s your point?

originally posted by: jjkenobi
Wow, you haven't read the Bible at all? There is so much wrong with this post.

Start by reading the birth of Jesus in the gospel for one.

The star didn't lead the wise men to the house/stable that Jesus was born in. It led them to the country.

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

They saw "his star". Which led them to the country's capital, where they asked around to find out where he was. Which sadly led to the killing of many children. Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt to avoid this.

There was a planetary conjunction in the constellation associated with the Jews which led the wise men to Jerusalem. It's a widely known and popular theory that you could have easily found using the Internet. I believe it occurred around 6BC? Also the conjunction occurred once, then due to retrograde occurred a second time.

Throw in Herod killed children 2 years and under indicating that Jesus May have been around the age of two and not a newborn. Nothing in the bible indicates that the Maggi arrived on the date or near when Jesus was born

The first non-Christian reference to the massacre is recorded four centuries later by Macrobius (c. 395–423), who writes in his Saturnalia:

“When he [emperor Augustus] heard that among the boys in Syria under two years old whom Herod, king of the Jews, had ordered killed, his own son was also killed, he said: it is better to be Herod's pig, than his son.[13]”
en.m.wikipedia.org...

If God made the heavens and earth, I guess he could put a start any f#@$ing place he wanted to at any time! Has nothing to do with where it’s “supposed “ to be..God bless you all!

Illusions can happen. Light in the atmosphere can do strange things. If you want to go a little more consperial, the technology assists to do it now. Why couldn’t a superior being do it?

The flip side, even if the odds are good for a limo driver ( dumb and dumber if you are not into “classic” movies). The mathematical odds of the Big Bang, the earth forming where it is, then life evolving and that life evolving into humans is at a higher odds then the star being over a manger. Does that show that the Big Bang believers are following a religion?