...after Christ, in the 6th century. The man who made the mistakes was a monk - Dionysius Exiguus. Till then, the Western calendar began when Rome was founded....

...first portrayed this way by one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, Giotto, commissioned in 1301. That year, the most famous comet of all, Halley's...comet of all, Halley's comet, visited Earth. It was visible for months and Giotto simply paint

...years ago, the Magi, wise men from the East, followed it to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. But is this part of the Christmas story just a beautiful myth?...

...looking back at a star. Molnar's research led him to the Egyptian astrologer Claudius Ptolemy and his book the Tetrabiblos. That book is considered to be...

...of things to come. And 500 years before Christ's birth, the Greek historian Herodotus also described the Magi. He said they were Persians, not Jews. They...

...known celestial records. An astronomer and a scholar of Ancient Chinese, Richard Stephenson is the world's leading expert on them. In detail, the...

...of Bethlehem. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, "during the time of King Herod, "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, " 'Where is the...And the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus says Herod died in 4BC. We know that King Herod, who wa

...Magi? And why were they following a star? A scholar at St Paul's Cathedral, London, Claire Foster has found a description of the Magi in the writings of...star refers to fixed stars as well as mobile planets. In the British Museum, London, early astron

...was the main religion in Persia, a superpower whose empire stretched from India to Europe, with its heart in modern Iran. Like the Jews, Zoroastrians...

...Exiguus. Till then, the Western calendar began when Rome was founded. But the Romans decided to change it to start at Christ's birth. So Dionysius counted...

...together in Pisces, and Pisces is the constellation which is applicable to Israel. To the Magi, Jupiter represented a new king. Saturn represented the...and Saturn, in the constellation of Pisces, then widely believed to represent Israel and the Jews.

...in Judea, "during the time of King Herod, "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, " 'Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? "...very spectacular and significant to them, and they follow it and arrive in Jerusalem. The Magi are on

...Greenwich. For centuries, the great centre of astronomical observations in the UK. David Hughes believes the Star of Bethlehem was the largest planet in the...

...the main religion in Persia, a superpower whose empire stretched from India to Europe, with its heart in modern Iran. Like the Jews, Zoroastrians believed in...

...evolves, the way that it got to be the way it is, and it's ultimate fate. In New York, the distinguished astronomer Mike Molnar has come up with his own new...

...whose empire stretched from India to Europe, with its heart in modern Iran. Like the Jews, Zoroastrians believed in one God. They too looked to the...

...been engulfed by the encroaching Roman empire. Its ruins now lie in modern-day Turkey. On one side, the coins show the god Zeus, or Jupiter. On the other,...

...including the Nativity. Rick Larson is an eminent professor of law in Texas. He's also a passionate Christian. And he's applied his lawyer's...

...the world. There are 130,000 of them, from the Persian city of Babylon now in Iraq. They include the first astronomical records ever kept. Our earliest...

...was a monk - Dionysius Exiguus. Till then, the Western calendar began when Rome was founded. But the Romans decided to change it to start at Christ's...as being very wise and learned. So what did they look like? An answer lies in Rome. On the walls of

...a beautiful myth? Could they really have seen anything in the heavens over Judea? Now able to look back into the ancient skies as never before,...the truth behind the Star of Bethlehem. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, "during the time of K

...indeed have been a comet over Judea that first Christmas. In a book called the Han Shu, ancient Chinese astronomers kept some of the earliest known celestial...would have seen the same things in the night sky as the Magi. And in 5BC, the Han Shu record

...Its ruins now lie in modern-day Turkey. On one side, the coins show the god Zeus, or Jupiter. On the other, Aries the ram leaping across the sky and...

...Michael Molnar is a leading American astronomer who's worked on several NASA space missions. For decades, he's been investigating the Star of Bethlehem...

...led the way to the new Messiah. The Bible says that, 2,000 years ago, the Magi, wise men from the East, followed it to the birthplace of Jesus Christ...."After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, "during the time of King Herod, "Magi from the east ca

..." There's only one account of the Star of Bethlehem in the Bible. It's in the Gospel of St Matthew. The only people he describes as seeing it are the Wise...the description of the Star of Bethlehem, which, of course, is only in the Gospel of St Matthew

...They were priests, but from another religion. Michael Molnar is a leading American astronomer who's worked on several NASA space missions. For decades,...

...by the way. And there he has a list and twice he mentions it, that Aries the Ram ruled over Judea, with Jerusalem as the capital of the Near East. Molnar...looked for the Star of Bethlehem in the constellation of Aries. If Aries the Ram was the sign of

...of meetings between Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky… what's now called a Triple Conjunction. Something the Magi would have been very familiar with. In...

...at the time of Christ. Philo was a Jewish Platonist who commentated on the Hebrew scriptures which we would call the Old Testament. He died in 50AD, which...

...but the more astronomy advances, the more theories there are to explain the Christmas Star. The thing that amazes me about astronomy is that, although it's...

...the word for star refers to fixed stars as well as mobile planets. In the British Museum, London, early astronomical records confirm how important the...

...in 1301. That year, the most famous comet of all, Halley's comet, visited Earth. It was visible for months and Giotto simply painted the Star in its...fully explain, now known as Retrograde Motion. This occurs because the Earth orbits the sun quicker t

...across the sky and looking back at a star. Molnar's research led him to the Egyptian astrologer Claudius Ptolemy and his book the Tetrabiblos. That book is...

...planets were for the Magi. Dr Christopher Walker is a world authority on the Ancient Near East. He's decoded the Museum's unique collection of clay tablets,...

...know that when Christ was born, Herod was king of Judea. And the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus says Herod died in 4BC. We know that King Herod, who was alive...

...the spring of 5BC, which simply said a broom star - "hoi shing" - appeared at Chenu for more than 70 days. In Chinese, there are three separate terms to...

...comet disappears out into the icy reaches of the outer solar system. In the Middle Ages, many artists portrayed the Star of Bethlehem as a comet blazing...

...For centuries, the great centre of astronomical observations in the UK. David Hughes believes the Star of Bethlehem was the largest planet in the solar...that would have interested a serious Zoroastrian astrologer/astronomer. David Hughes thinks that J

...Giotto, commissioned in 1301. That year, the most famous comet of all, Halley's comet, visited Earth. It was visible for months and Giotto simply...

...leading expert on them. In detail, the ancient astronomical records begin in China, around about 200BC. From then on, we've got fairly systematic records....passing nearby a planet or a star. And there are many descriptions of comets. China is on a sim

...stories ever told, the Star of Bethlehem led the way to the new Messiah. The Bible says that, 2,000 years ago, the Magi, wise men from the East, followed it...to worship him. ' " There's only one account of the Star of Bethlehem in the Bible. It's in t

...Platonist who commentated on the Hebrew scriptures which we would call the Old Testament. He died in 50AD, which means he was alive and writing exactly at...

...the biggest in the world. There are 130,000 of them, from the Persian city of Babylon now in Iraq. They include the first astronomical records ever kept. Our...tablets of astronomical records made in around 1600BC, in the time of the old Babylonian Kin

...stretched from India to Europe, with its heart in modern Iran. Like the Jews, Zoroastrians believed in one God. They too looked to the stars for guidance....so the Magi were considered to be highly-respected people. Like the Jews, the Zoroastrians beli

...did so because of a phenomenon the Magi couldn't fully explain, now known as Retrograde Motion. This occurs because the Earth orbits the sun quicker than...

...he forgot that Augustus had already ruled for four years under another name - Octavian! So his calculations were four years out. His other mistake - he...

...The man who made the mistakes was a monk - Dionysius Exiguus. Till then, the Western calendar began when Rome was founded. But the Romans decided to change...light that led the Magi to Jerusalem. Where was it? It was over Judea in the Western sky as vi

...us all. Three Kings even, who cross the desert by camel, bearing gifts for the Son of God. But closer inspection tells us that, down the centuries, the Magi...

...that, in September 3BC, Jupiter met one of the brightest stars in the sky - Regulus. Jupiter's retrograde motion meant it met Regulus three times in...

...to the Star of Bethlehem from some ancient coins. Coins that were minted in Antioch, which is to the north of Judea, and these coins were minted pretty...pretty close to the time of Jesus. 2,000 years ago, the powerful city of Antioch had been engulfed

...stars. Stars which may be seen for several weeks. One of these is "Hoi Shing", which is just a broom star. An interpretation of a broom star is almost...

...have only really been two separate disciplines, or ways of thinking, since the Enlightenment, since the 17th Century. Prior to that, and certainly at the time...

...came to Jerusalem and 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. ' " There's...historian Herodotus also described the Magi. He said they were Persians, not Jews. They were

...London, Claire Foster has found a description of the Magi in the writings of Philo, a philosopher alive at the time of Christ. Philo was a Jewish Platonist...speech "give and receive the revelations of divine excellency. " According to Philo, the Magi

...were Persians, not Jews. They were priests, but from another religion. Michael Molnar is a leading American astronomer who's worked on several NASA space...it is, and it's ultimate fate. In New York, the distinguished astronomer Mike Molnar has come up

...So who were the Magi? And why were they following a star? A scholar at St Paul's Cathedral, London, Claire Foster has found a description of the Magi...

...some very interesting observations about the Magi as scientists. "Among the Persians there is the Order of the Magi, "who silently make research into the...the Greek historian Herodotus also described the Magi. He said they were Persians, not Jews. The

...Greek "planos", meaning "wandering star". Our translation of the Bible is from Ancient Greek, in which the word for star refers to fixed stars as well as...

...in search of the Messiah. Today, the Three Wise Men are familiar to us all. Three Kings even, who cross the desert by camel, bearing gifts for the Son of...

...some of the earliest known celestial records. An astronomer and a scholar of Ancient Chinese, Richard Stephenson is the world's leading expert on them. In...