Is the 'Star of Bethlehem' really a planet? A bright visitor this month may hold a clue.

1. Space
2. Astronomy

Is the 'Star of Bethlehem' really a planet? A bright visitor this month may hold a clue.

News By Jamie Carter published 9 December 2025

A brilliant point of light is rising in the eastern sky soon after dark this month, drawing comparisons to the "Star of Bethlehem."

2 Comments Join the conversation

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Was the Star of Bethlehem a real star, or possibly a planet? Skywatchers have many theories. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Christians are well aware of the Nativity story, in which three wise men follow the "Star of Bethlehem" to the newborn Jesus. But does this biblical story have astronomical origins? What was the "Christmas Star"?

Modern skywatchers have posited many theories, such as the star being a very close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in 2 B.C or a less visually striking triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn seen throughout 7 B.C. (Historians continue to debate the actual date of Jesus' birth.) Another theory suggests it may have been a bright stellar explosion.

There are no major close conjunctions this December, nor any naked-eye comets, exploding stars or anything else particularly unusual. However, there is a bright point of light visible for much of the night, and it's rising in the east soon after dark.

You may like

• See the moon, Venus and Regulus in a rare triple conjunction tomorrow
• See a rare conjunction of Mercury and Venus late tonight
• Geminids 2025: The year's best meteor shower peaks this week, with a second shower hot on its tail

Jupiter will come to opposition on Jan. 10, 2026. On that date, Earth will be between Jupiter and the sun, putting the giant planet at its closest and brightest to Earth. When an outer planet like Jupiter is at opposition, it rises in the east at sunset, reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight, and sinks in the west at sunrise.

Whether Jupiter alone was the "Star of Bethlehem" is doubtful, because its opposition occurs every 13 months. That's because Jupiter takes 11.86 Earth years to orbit the sun once, and Earth gets between it and the sun once each year. According to Sky & Telescope, Jupiter completes about one-twelfth of its orbit each Earth year, so it takes Earth about a year to catch up to the point where it can align with Jupiter again, resulting in a 13-month opposition cycle.

related stories

—What are the mysterious lights sometimes seen on the moon?

—Solar wind might be making water on the moon, groundbreaking NASA study reveals

—Apollo astronauts discovered the moon is covered in tiny orange glass beads. Now we finally know why.

In December, a month before opposition, Jupiter is rising about two hours after sunset. However, because sunset occurs early during December in the Northern Hemisphere, Jupiter dominates the sky for much of the night. Easily visible in the eastern sky after 8 p.m. local time, Jupiter dominates the night sky as a neatly timed "Christmas Star."

Shining at a very bright magnitude of -2.4 at the beginning of December, Jupiter will get even brighter as it approaches opposition, reaching -2.5 by the end of 2025. (In astronomy, a lower magnitude corresponds to a brighter object; negative magnitudes are the brightest.)

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Was Jupiter the Star of Bethlehem? We may never know — but in December 2025, its brilliance will make it a worthy stand-in.

Jamie CarterSocial Links NavigationLive Science contributor

Jamie Carter is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor based in Cardiff, U.K. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and lectures on astronomy and the natural world. Jamie regularly writes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife magazine and Scientific American, and many others. He edits WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more See the moon, Venus and Regulus in a rare triple conjunction tomorrow    See a rare conjunction of Mercury and Venus late tonight    Geminids 2025: The year's best meteor shower peaks this week, with a second shower hot on its tail    'Miracle' photo captures Comet Lemmon and meteor seemingly entwined over Earth    NASA spacecraft reveal interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brightened rapidly as it swooped behind the sun    Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS could be turning bright green, surprising new photos reveal    Latest in Astronomy This bright star will soon die in a nuclear explosion — and could be visible in Earth's daytime skies    New 3I/ATLAS images show the comet getting active ahead of close encounter with Earth    Ethereal structure in the sky rivals 'Pillars of Creation' — Space photo of the week    Strangely bleached rocks on Mars hint that the Red Planet was once a tropical oasis    Giant sunspot on par with the one that birthed the Carrington Event has appeared on the sun — and it's pointed right at Earth    Geminids 2025: The year's best meteor shower peaks this week, with a second shower hot on its tail    Latest in News The Arab region — a swath from Morocco to the United Arab Emirates — just had its hottest year on record    Gray hair may have evolved as a protection against cancer, study hints    Widespread cold virus you've never heard of may play key role in bladder cancer    How to find the 'Christmas Star' — and what it really is    Glue strong enough to tow a car made from used cooking oil    Historic search for 'huge missing piece' of the universe turns up negative — but reveals new secrets of particle physics    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1This bright star will soon die in a nuclear explosion — and could be visible in Earth's daytime skies
2. 2The Arab region — a swath from Morocco to the United Arab Emirates — just had its hottest year on record
3. 3Earth's crust hides enough 'gold' hydrogen to power the world for tens of thousands of years, emerging research suggests
4. 4Widespread cold virus you've never heard of may play key role in bladder cancer
5. 5Gray hair may have evolved as a protection against cancer, study hints