The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-01-25
FHE STAR OF BETHLEHEM.
IN. o. Picayune.l

We publish a telegram in relation to
the expected appearance of remark
able star which has from time to time,
for many centuries, occupied the atten-
tion of the scientific world and of the
superstitiOus as well.
In the year 1872 the celebrated |
Danish astronomer Tyeho Brshe dis
covered in the constellation of Cassi- |
opea's Chair the brightest star that was |
probably ever seen in the heavens. 1t |
outshone Sirius. 1t was brighter than |
Jupiter, and was as bright as Venus
but larger. 1t was first seen in Novem-
ber and continued in sight for II |
months before 1t vanished, being sue
cessiyely white, yellow, red, ami white |
again. and at its brightest it was Wis |
ible at noon in the day time. Tycho |
held theory, since adopted by many |
others, that this extraordinary heaven
ly body was the veritable Star of
Bethlehem which shone at the birth of
the infant Christ. Since all the heaven
ly bodies, including comets, have
periods in which they are by turns
visible and invisible, il was supposed
that Tycho's star conformed to some
such law and search into the ancient
annals was made to discover If there
were any records of previous appear
ance. While mention of several such
luminaries was found II was difficult
to determine If comets might not have
been meant in at least several instances,
but there were two other periods fixed
with tolerable detiniteness when
specially bright star had been noticed.
Those dates were 9I5 and 1864. Be-
tween the dates of 945 and 1864 there
is period of S19 years, while from
1864 to 1872 there are S0S years.
Since those periods are unequal,
many efforts have been made by
astronomers TO reconcile them. II
would not be worth while to present
these in detail, but there was a general
agreement that there might be an in
terval of about 315 years between the
successive Temperatures of that star.
1t should have appeared in the year
4O0i, ammo mundi, or three years be-
fore the common Christian era, which,
II is generally agreed, dates back three
years short of the true period. At any
rate, reappearing every 315 years the
star should have been seen In 1887, but
1t has up to the present failed to make
its advent.
The astronomers have lately been
figuring on the subject, and they have
set lS90-9l for its appearance.
Ithas been telegraphed, as IL appears,
from Vienna that this star Is to make
Its appearance this year and the
astronomers are talking about II with
no little interest. Should Tycho's star
suddenly flash out into brilliance in
the same place where 1t was before
seen, II should be looked for In the
constellation of Cassiopeis's Chair, q
group of stars in the northern heavens,
revolving around the Pole Star and
always to be found exactly on the op-
|, posite side of the North Star from the
place occupied by tho "Dipper" OF
the Great Bear-Ursa Major. Cassi.
opeia's Chair consists, as 1t Is seen by
the naked eye, of five stars, two of the
/. second magnitude and three Of the
third, arranged in tho form of "W.' Il
Is visible IN this latitude every cleai
night In the year.
If II were possible to identify thil
! expected star with the star which ap
!, pcared OF the birth of Christ aud 1T
: law Of neutrality-suspicious. ant
disappearance-couldb bo ascertainec
, 1t would possibly enable astronomer
to fix the exact date of the nativity, Q
/, matter concerning which there is, an'
!. has always been, much uncertainty
: Kepler, some three centuries ago, on
!, ! gagged In the most elaborate calcula
tions, and asccrtained that at about tn
= = time Christ should have been bor
= there was remarkable conjunction O
y the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mar
in the sign of Pisces, a circumstance Q
high Importance to the astrologers, bu
= = of little moment to those who were en-
= deavoring to discover the nature of th
!, Star of Bethlehem. This planetar
= conjunction In which the most fortr
nate of the stars--Jupiter--was close
= ly involved with the two most unfor
'' tunste-Saturn and Mars-foretoker
ing the birth of an individual In whol
y the highest dignities and the dire,
= calamitics were conjoined, might we
Is have attracted the attention of th
10 Chaldean astrologers of that age, bl
: there Is in 1t little to satisfy the q
l. tronomers.