05/27/2026
From the June 2026 edition of “Sky and Telescope”:
45 minutes after sunset on Tuesday, June 9th Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury can be viewed West-Northwest. Venus and Jupiter will be in “conjunction”. Planets are said to be in conjunction when their apparent separation is less than 10.
Why this is worth the look:
What makes the view on June 9th meaningful is that Venus and Jupiter will appear to be 1 ½ apart. In/about 2 BCE, this planetary conjunction occurred, but the alignment was 1.
No one in the Jerusalem court took special notice of this “Brightest Star in the Sky”. It can be argued that the Christ was born on the conjunction that occurred in 2 BCE.
This sign was missed it because these conjunctions occur with some regularity. No one in the Jerusalem court recognized the event’s significance.
But Magi from the East (I say from Nineva, most say the Easten School in Bagdad), did notice.
They came to worship the Christ and proclaim the event.
My supposition is that the Magi were descendants of those who did not return to Israel after the captivity.
Why this matters:
Matthew 24:43
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