Star of the East

The light that guided the wise men to Bethlehem. Many astronomers have tried to figure out what caused this star to shine at that time in such a distinct way, since the movement of most stars is so exact that their positions can be determined for centuries ahead or centuries past. One idea is that it was the result of a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn that is known to have occurred about 7 BC. It could also have been a supernova—a faint star that suddenly becomes brighter and then fades slowly for no known reason. Whatever the star was, God planned whatever was necessary to make it shine at the right time.