STAR OF THE EAST?

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 45, 3 December 1949, Page 5

STAR OF THE EAST?

Merged Orbits of Mars and Saturn

NEW YORK, Dec. 1

A Christmas star, possibly like the one which dr*ew the shepherds and wise men to the side of the infant Christ 1949 years ago, has been seen over the United States in the last two mornings.

The star, which is actually the merged orbits of Saturn and Mars, has been visible from midnight to dawn in the south-eastern sky. It will shine again during the next two mornings, although the planets are now separating. Scores of persons rose before dawn to witness the spectacle.

Referring to the New York cable message on a Christmas star, the director of the Carter Observatory (Mr I D. Thomsen) said there was nothing miraculous about its appearance, states a Wellington message. It had been predicted a long time ago, and astronomers knew it was going to appear. ' There was a theory in the United States that this was the Star of the East seen by the Wise Men before the birth of Christ, but that may have been the conjunction of certain.of the planets in such a way as to group them so close as to make them appear as one bright object. The theory, however, deemed to be supported only in the United States. He did not know that astronomical science altogether agreed, nor had it been actually defined what the Wise Men saw. This particuar conjunction was not peculiar to the United States. Saturn and Mars could be seen all over the word, including in New Zealand. The actual conjunction occurred on November 30, but the planets were still fairly close together and visible to the naked eye. At present they were in the rising sky about 1 a.m., and anyone wishing to see them could do so after they cleared the horizon about 30 minutes, later. In a month or two they would come into the evening sky, rising and by February or Match would be visible through a telescope, though much more apart.