Timing:
It has been researched by many astronomers -who look back in antiquity to the records of various cultures, the events cosmically around Christ' birth. Some have deduced that the Star of Bethlehem was actually either a comet or Nova event with their leanings more toward Nova. Why? Well according to Chinese and Syrian observations during the time of Christ's birth they noted that around , I believe it was 4 or 5BC, a light was witnessed in the heavens which began in the Month of March .
They , based on this and the weather from December thru Feb. in Bethlehem believe it is any where from March to May that Christ was born. Why, because it would be too cold and rainy for the shepherds to have been sleeping in the fields with their flocks. The months of March to May where actually the birthing periods for the sheep.
This Nova or comet event to me is important based on the historical accounts of the Census in Israel decreed by Caesar Augustus . There has been much debate concerning the aligning of Luke's account and the Jewish historian Josephus whose dates seem to be messed up. This has only been debated actually over the past 100 yrs.
Anyway, historians with the help of astronomers, have been able , in their estimation , to align everything. The wise men believed that such a great celestial event denoted a great birth, on earth. Along with their study of prophecy they went forth to see this great sight.
The advisors of Herod had no idea what the event meant , it was the arrival of the wise men and their caravan which alarmed them.
The 4-5 BC Chinese star is often associated with the Star of Bethlehem due to the coincidence in dates and the time of year that it was observed. As such it is interesting to examine its visibility, based on what little is known about it from the contemporary chronicles, combining them with weather data and other astronomical information.
Luke’s comment that shepherds were in the mountains around Bethlehem tending their flocks by night is totally inconsistent with the Nativity having taken place in winter. The weather in Jerusalem, which is 6km north of Bethlehem and at similar altitude, is cool and humid between October and March; moderate frosts and heavy snowfall are by no means unknown. A comparison with shepherds that use traditional methods in the central plateau of Spain, where the altitude and climatic conditions are similar, suggests that night-time vigil is a feature of lambing time in spring and possibly of summer if there are large predators such as wolves in the region of the pastures.
Chronology
The evidence that King Herod the Great died in late March or early April 4BC is generally regarded as conclusive. Thus , it is thus generally supposed, that the birth of Jesus took place between one and three years beforehand, between 7 and 5BC. This date is also coherent with the known date of a census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus in 8BC. We also know from an inscription called the “Lapis Venetus” (above left) that Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, legate of the emperor in Syria, carried out a census for Augustus, although the date is not given.
Comet Theory:
The Chinese description of the Star
If we accept mid to late March 5BC as the most likely date of the Nativity, we discover that there is an interesting coincidence in date with one of the very few Chinese records that exist from the period between 1BC and 20BC.
The records dated 10BC and 12BC are both known to be of Comet Halley. The former is a so-called “ghost record” with a date error. However, the Chinese records allow us to get an excellent idea of the movement and brightness of Comet Halley in 12BC
The chronicle, the “Ch'ien-han-shu” states that:
"In the second year of the period of Ch'ien-p'ing, second month, a hui-hsing appeared in Ch'ien-niu for more than 70 days"
This record can be translated as:
“During the interval between March 10th and April 7th of 5 BC, a comet that was visible for more than 70 days appeared close to Alpha and Beta Capricornii”
The visibility of the Nova Bethlehem from Persia
It is now widely assumed that the Magi were not Babylonian (as had been widely believed previously, although not based on any solid evidence), but instead Zoroastrian priests from northern Persia. Thus we must assume that the Magi initially saw Nova Bethlehem from there. However, we also know from Matthew’s account that the Magi were able to see the nova on their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
First we will calculate its visibility from Persia around the time that it was first sighted. As the first observation comes close to the Spring Equinox the time of morning twilight in Persia changes rapidly at this time. Astronomers define three types of twilight:
· Astronomical, when the upper limb of the Sun is 18º below the horizon. This is the moment when the horizon first begins to brighten although the zenith is dark.
· Nautical, when the upper limb of the Sun is 12º below the horizon. This is used by the navy as the moment for dawn action stations and in the army for the dawn stand-to. At this point the eastern horizon is bright and light is extending up towards the zenith.
· Civil, when the upper limb of the Sun is 6º below the horizon. Better known to drivers as “lighting up time”, this is when effectively the transition from day to night occurs.
The local time of twilight in Tehran was:
Tehran
Nautical twilight
Astronomical twilight
March 1st 5BC
06:13
05:44
March 15th 5BC
05:53
05:24
April 1st 5BC
05:27
04:57
The (very approximate) hypothetical position of the nova at 5am local time in Tehran on March 1st 5BC would have been:
The nova would have appeared low in the east or southeast in the pre-dawn sky. The earlier the date that the nova appeared and the further to the south that it was located, the later it would rise and the lower it would be in the sky at dawn.
If it appeared close to the star SAO 144144, dimly visible near the centre of the circle as a magnitude 6.5 star, its circumstances would have been:
Date
Astronomical twilight
Altitude
Azimuth
Time of rising
March 1st 5BC
05:44
28º
133º
03:01
March 15th 5BC
05:24
33º
142º
02:06
April 1st 5BC
04:59
37º
152º
01:03
In contrast, had it appeared alongside Alpha Capricornii, it would have been significantly lower in the sky and would have risen a quarter of an hour later.
Date
Astronomical twilight
Altitude
Azimuth
Time of rising
March 1st 5BC
05:44
24º
135º
03:17
March 15th 5BC
05:24
29º
143º
02:22
April 1st 5BC
04:59
33º
153º
01:20
From Medea, in the north of Persia, the presumed home of the Magi, the duration of twilight would have been a little longer, the altitude of the nova a few degrees lower and the time of rising another 15-20 minutes later.
However, this cannot explain a much-commented problem with the nova: unless the nova appeared at least a month earlier than the
Ch'ien-han-shu suggests, it is hard to square its position in the sky as a heliacal rising according to the modern translation of Matthew. The nova would have been seen in the east in the pre-dawn sky, but would have reached a significant altitude by that time.
I believe personally, it was both a comet and Star Nova, which occurred during the Birth of Christ. Just like the Sept. 23rd 2017 sign was preceded by many other cosmic events, and many are to continue after.
This is not all definitive , this is simply my observation.
