Hello!  This is Karl Hricko of United Astronomy Clubs of NJ bringing you the November Astronomy Update for the WNTI listening area. 

The “Christmas Star” has always been the subject of wonder and mystery. From an astronomy viewpoint, It is Interesting to examine it as an actual celestial event.
What are some of the likely candidates that might fit the identity of the "Star of Bethlehem"? Celestial objects such as novae, supernovae, comets, and meteors have been ruled out. The most likely candidate seems to be - a planet. At that time in history, planets were considered to be
wandering stars, and the heavens were closely observed by astrologers for the purpose of predicting their alleged influence over people's lives.

The planet which is considered by most researchers to be the most likely candidate for this special "star" is Jupiter. As to how exactly it was considered by astrologers to be the portent of a coming regal birth is still not clear. The only thing agreed upon is that Jupiter had undergone
a series of conjunctions (lining up) with bright stars like Regulus in Leo, and also was
occulted by the moon. The combination of these events may have led the astrologers to believe that there would be a regal birth In Judea.
So it seems that Jupiter might be a good candidate for the “Christmas Star”. You can see Jupiter as a bright object located in Aries, throughout the night.

As for the other “wandering” stars, majestic Venus can be seen in Capricorn in the southwest, just after sunset. About an hour before sunrise, Mercury in Scorpius, is visible low in the southeastern sky. Also visible at dawn, is Saturn in Virgo. Look for the Geminid meteor
shower on the night of the 14th, and don’t forget that winter begins at 12:30 p.m. on the 22nd.

Until our next astronomy update,
don’t forget to check out …
what’s up in the night sky!