Existenta Stelei din Bethleem, cea care potrivit Bibliei i-a condus cei trei magi la locul naşterii lui Isus, poate fi susţinuta de ştiinţă, afirma un astronom britanic. Star of Bethlehem may have been caused by movement of planet Jupiter, scientist claims
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Aparitia Stelei din Bethleem ar fi putut avea drept cauza mişcarea planetei Jupiter, susţine un om de ştiinţă.Existenta Stelei din Bethleem, cea care potrivit Bibliei i-a condus cei trei magi la locul naşterii lui Isus, poate fi susţinuta de ştiinţă, afirma un astronom britanic.
Mark Thompson,membru al Societatii Regale de Astronomie şi redactor la BBC One Show, a efectuat cercetări care, spune el, pot explica relatarea din Evanghelia după Matei despre steaua care a condus Magii la Betleem.
Apeland la simulari pe calculator care au reprodus poziţia stelelor şi planetelor asa cum se situau in momentul în care Isus s-a născut, domnul Thompson a ajuns la concluzia ca nu a fost vorba de un eveniment astronomic neobişnuit.
Mark Thompson, membru al Societatii Regale de Astronomie din Marea Britanie, crede ca istorisirea despre steaua care i-a calauzit pe magi spre locul nasterii lui Iisus Hristos ar avea la baza un eveniment ceresc rar, observat de astrologii vremii si intepretat de ei in concordanta cu conceptiile dominante in cultura respectiva.Mark Thompson a utilizat consemnari istorice si simulari pe computer, pentru a deduce pozitia stelelor si a planetelor in jurul datei la care, prin traditie, se considera ca s-ar fi nascut Iisus.
Dupa afirmatiile lui, intre luna septembrie a anului 3 i. Hr. si luna mai a anului 2 i. Hr., au avut loc trei asa-numite conjunctii, ce au implicat planeta planeta Jupiter si steaua Regulus: cele doua corpuri ceresti au trecut la mica distanta unul de celalalt.Jupiter a depasit steaua Regulus, miscandu-se spre est, ca de obicei, insa, ulterior, a parut ca isi schimba directia, mergand spre vest, pentru ca apoi, printr-o noua schimbare (aparenta) de directie, sa se indrepte iar spre es, trecand, pentru a treia oara, pe langa Regulus.
Cele trei conjunctii (care au avut loc la 14 september 3 i. Hr., 17 februarie 2 i. Hr. and 8 mai 2 i. Hr.) s-a datorat unui fenomen numit miscare retrograda: schimbarea de directie (care este numai aparenta, fiind vazuta astfel de catre observatorii de pe pamant, deoarece, in realitate, planeta nu-si schimba traiectoria) a planetei Jupiter.
Aparenta schimbare de directie se explica prin faptul ca planetele mai indepartate de Soare din sistemul nostru solar se rotesc in jurul Soarelui pe traiectorii mai lungi; ritmul miscarii de revolutie e mai lent, astfel incat Pamantul le depaseste, din cand in cand.
Unii cercetatori cred ca magii ar fi fost preotizoroastrieni, renumiti la vremea respectiva pentru priceperea lor in astrologie (care pe atunci , nu era o stiinta distincta de astronomie).
In traditia lor, Jupiter (cea mai mare planeta din sistemul nostru solar) era un „rege al planetelor”, iar Regulus (cea mai stralucitoare stea din constelatia Leului), un „rege printre stele”, astfel incat conjunctia repetata a acestor doi „regi” ai corpurilor ceresti ar fi putut fi interpretata ca o prevestire a nasterii unui nou si puternic rege pe Pamant.

Foto: Jupiter
Star of Bethlehem may have been caused by movement of planet Jupiter, scientist claims
Mark Thompson,a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Astronomy Presenter on BBC’s The One Show, has conducted research that he says can explain the story, told in the Gospel of Matthew, about the star leading the travellers to Bethlehem.
Using historical records and computer simulations that allow the position of the stars and planets to be charted back to around the time when Jesus is believed to have been born, Mr Thompson claims there was an unusual astronomical event.
He said that between September 3BC and May 2BC there were three „conjunctions” where the planet Jupiter and a star called Regulus passed close to each other in the night sky.
The planet passed Regulus traveling first in its usual easterly movement, before then appeared to reverse and pass it again in a westerly direction and then changing direction once more to resume its normal direction to the east to pass the star for a third time.
Mr Thompson, who is due to present the BBC’s new astronomy programme Stargazing Live with Professor Brian Cox, said: „The Three Wise Men were believed by some to be zoroastrianist priests, who were renowned astrologers at the time, so the king of planets passing so close to the king of stars on three occasions would have been hugely significant and could have been interpreted as the birth of a new king.
„Interestingly, in the world of astrology Jupiter is considered to be the king of planets and Regulus, which is the brightest star in the constellation Leo, is considered to be the king of stars.”
There have been numerous theories put forward by astronomers in the past as scientific explanations of the Star of Bethlehem, including a comet, a supernova – where a star explodes and produces huge amounts of light – and a planet.
Mr Thompson said he looked at „all the possibilities” before coming to his conclusion.
The three conjunctions, which took place on 14 September 3BC, 17 February 2BC and 8 May 2BC, were caused by an astronomical phenomenon called retrograde motion, in which a planet will appear to stop its normal eastward drift through the night and instead drift back towards the west for a period of several weeks.
This happens because the outer planets in our solar system are orbiting the sun at a slower rate than the Earth and so our planet occasionally overtakes them.
„The retrograde motion meant the planet was travelling in a westerly direction in the sky and so the [Three Wise Men] may have followed it from Persia,” Mr Thompson said.
„By camel it would have taken about three months and interestingly this is roughly about the same time Jupiter was travelling in this westward direction.”
He added: „It is not for me to actually say whether the Bible is right or wrong, I am just drawing on the facts in front of me.”