Every December, hundreds of science professionals mix astronomy and religion, normally a no-no, in planetariums’ “Star of Wonder” shows, offering explanations for the star of Bethlehem. Was it a supernova? A comet? A conjunction?
Planetarium directors know their offerings are counterfeit. Privately, they readily explain to me that no actual celestial object could match the description in Matthew 2:2–10 of a star that moved across the sky but then became motionless. It doesn’t matter whether we now suggest it was a comet or a supernova. Thanks to Earth’s rotation, neither can stop and linger over a street address. You can’t get anywhere following something in the sky, unless you followed Polaris and wanted to go north. That’s what escaping slaves did in the U.S.
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