Dr. Gary Ferland— University of Kentucky

The Star of Bethlehem

The Gospel of Matthew records a peculiar astro-nomical event that occurred at the birth of Christ. Could the "Christmas Star" have been a nova, a supernova, a comet, or some other spectacular sight? I will talk about what was visible around the time of the birth of Christ, and describe Kep-ler's idea that that the Star was a planet align-ment that guided the "wise men from the East."

Kentucky SkyTalk

Tonight’s Kentucky SkyTalk is part of an ongoing series. These are presented by the UK Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the MacAdam Student Observatory. Held every 2nd Thursday of the month, they are always free and open to the public.