Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-12-24 | Page 9 | Science Offers Explanations of Star of Nativity

Offers r Explanations Explanation of Star of Nativity mv Give Factual Background d for Bethlehem Miracle Planets Miracle Planets Nova or Perhaps Comet And lo 10 the star which they saw saw sw in the east t before them them them- Because Christmas is almost here Salt Lakers just what the star of Bethlehem 55 3 J Was it a miracle or can it be accounted for science Junius J J. Hayes astronomy instructor at the of Utah gives at least three Is for the star offer offered d by science to explain celestial phenomenon Science is free of any religious restrictions opinions but it does seek to base explanations established facts Mr Hayes said I The IThe first explanation is that three planets iter Mars and Venus were in conjunction fa each other In the heavens in 6 B. B C. C and it conceded now by historians that the nativity wired at least four years prior to the date act acted acted ac- ac t ted d by theologians up to 50 years ago and the th Hi of Christ may have happened even one or years earlier and fit the date of the three et net The star of Bethlehem may have been a nova star that is not visible to the naked eye but i ich h through a cataclysmic disturbance within causing a sing a violent explosion increases as much times its former brightness This light in the heavens for a few days and then thenes tes es TIie esThe The third explanation science offers is that t tar may have been a comet with a brilliant dand almost no tail If this had occurred in heavens for a few weeks it would furnish a According to Mr Hayes the star reined re- re reI reined re re- I ined in the sky two or three weeks These are the factual explanations astronomy er it for for the star of Bethlehem Mr Hayes said tience believes that one of these three things taken place