Tonight, the two largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will align to create a great conjunction, a rare event that may resemble the biblical Star of Bethlehem, also known as the Christmas Star. This will be the first time they have aligned like this since the Middle Ages.
The planets will appear low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset as viewed from the northern hemisphere. Although it will be sinking towards the horizon, it will be bright enough to be viewed with the naked eye at twilight.
The two planets will look like a double planet and provide an extraordinary amount of light. The last time these two planets aligned like this was on March 4, 1226. Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so. However, this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to be to one another.
Astronomers such as Johannes Kepler speculate that the Star of David in the Gospel of Matthew was an exceptionally rare triple conjunction between Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus. The Magi, probably Persian or Arabian astrologers who charted the stars and attached religious significance to their movements, used the bright star to guide them from the east to find the Christ Child in Bethlehem. The Magi knew right where to look for this infant King as they went to Jerusalem and into Bethlehem as was prophesied from the Old Testament.
Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands.”
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This Christmas Star that appears tonight is a reminder of God’s promise that He fulfilled by sending Jesus Christ in human flesh so that every person has an opportunity to have a relationship with Him. No matter the circumstances in our nation and the world today, we can always have that hope as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child this week.”
