Three Wise Men

R. Uncle Melvyn?

M. Mm?

R. How did the star stand still over Bethlehem when Jesus was born?
Surely, if it did, the world would have stopped going round and everyone would fall over?

M. Some people think the three wise men travelling from the East to worship the baby Jesus is just a pretty tale, but I think it is essentially true.

R. Cool!

M. Every star pauses between rising and falling in the sky as it crosses the North/South meridian. One such star would have been directly overhead if you were in Bethlehem.

R. But how would you know which one?

M. Kepler said it could have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the house of Pisces. The two planets together would have looked like a very bright star.

R. Wow! So what about the three wise men?

M. They seem to have been Zoroastrian priests from Babylon, expert astronomers and mathematicians, who came to lay their wisdom before the new-born Lord.

R. To think about all that, I need a marmalade toastie, and I need it quick!