In Christian tradition, the "Star of Bethlehem" guided wise men to the site of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago. Now, viral social media posts are claiming stargazers can see the same formation in 2022 for the first time in nearly 800 years.
“Mark your calendar for December 21st for 45 minutes after sunset," reads the Dec. 11 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) that was shared more than 6,000 times in less than one week. "The Star of Bethlehem will shine for the first time since 1226.”
Other versions of the claim garnered thousands of additional shares on the social media platform.
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But the post is off by two years. It was 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn aligned to form what some referred to as the "Star of Bethlehem," and it won't happen again until 2040. Experts told USA TODAY Mars, Jupiter and Venus – another lineup that's been suggested as the "Star of Bethlehem" – will not be in conjunction on Dec. 21.
USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.
There isn't a scientific consensus on what the "Star of Bethlehem" was, but experts told USA TODAY under no definition would it be making an appearance in 2022.
Thomas Fleming, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said some...
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