The Ball State Planetarium's Christmas Star program was a big hit this year, with many curious individuals packing the small room for each showing. Running at just around 38 minutes, the program focused on the biblical story of the Star of Bethlehem found in the Book of Matthew.
"We've probably had close to 300 or 400 people total," physics and astronomy Professor Ron Kaitchuck said. "We had a good turnout with a lot of interesting people with a lot of good questions."
Several theories exist as to what actually led the wise men to Palestine. Records show that in the given time frame, it could have been an exploding supernova. It also may have been the result of Jupiter and Venus, both bright planets, crossing paths and appearing as one shining spot in the night sky. If either of those events yielded the Christmas Star, then it could be considered a miracle, since it has never happened before or since.
The presentation also brought up other mysteries, such as when Jesus was actually born. Contrary to popular belief, the birth of Jesus did not occur on Dec. 25, year 0, because there is technically no year 0, since the calendar jumps from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. Research and recent record findings from past cultures have narrowed the time frame for Jesus' birth to some point between 8 B.C. and 1 B.C.
The presentation also showed ruins of astronomical formations created by ancient civilizations, such as the Sun Dagger of the Native Americans in New Mexico and Stonehenge in England. These formations usually focused on sun activity, with particular attention to the summer and winter solstices.
"I liked how they showed the different ruins that were set up, like Stonehenge and the Mayan ruins," attendee Mary Foster said. "Just that an ancient man was able to set up something that complex such a long time ago with such poor tools is amazing."
Many people are looking forward to seeing the program again next year.
"The whole program was fascinating," attendee Tom Clark said. "I'd like to see it again. It's a fabulous facility for people to take advantage of here, and it's neat that the university and Dr. Kaitchuck opens it up during this season."
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