How Jupiter could resemble a 'Christmas star' this weekend.

[elleng]

Astronomers have many theories about the fabled “Star of Bethlehem” mentioned in the Bible.

Jupiter will be at its brightest and most visible in the night sky on Saturday. It will be almost as bright as Venus, and will be very noticeable as it rises just after dark in the eastern sky.

Some are even calling it a “Christmas star,” a name that harkens back to tradition cited in the Bible, within which a “star in the East” is said to lead three “wise men” to the baby Jesus.

The celestial event marks Jupiter’s opposition, the point at which it’s opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. That means it rises when the sun sets, and is catching all the sun’s light. (Think about how full moon, or our brightest moon, occurs only when the moon is opposite the sun.) That’s why Jupiter will be so bright and impressive.

How to view this ‘Christmas star'

You don’t need to do anything special to see it. Just glance east an hour or two after sunset. You’ll see Jupiter rising throughout the evening. Technically speaking, Jupiter will be brightest on Saturday, but should be noticeably vibrant all month long.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/12/06/jupiter-christmas-star-how-to-view/?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. First of all, that "story in the Bible" is absolutely not

mentioned anywhere else. So trying to figure out what that supposed star might have been is a bit like trying to figure out the roads they had on Atlantis. Total fiction.