"The Christmas Star" Astronomy Open House at Penn State Behrend December 3, 2009

What did three Wise Men see in the sky two thousand years ago?

Dr. Roger Knacke, professor of physics and astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will discuss the Star of Bethlehem at “The Christmas Star,” the next Open House Night in Astronomy. His nontechnical presentation will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building and will be followed by telescope viewing from the college’s Mehalso Observatory, weather permitting. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Many theories for the Star of Bethlehem have been proposed—comet, meteor, exploding star, or possibly a conjunction of planets. “We’ll examine the Bible’s description of the star, and compare it with astronomical evidence to suggest a plausible explanation,” Knacke says. “I also have a computer simulation of the skies over Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago that shows what people might have seen and interpreted as a miraculous star.”

Open House Nights in Astronomy are a public outreach effort of the Penn State Behrend School of Science. For more information, phone 814-898-6105.

Official Website: http://www.behrend.psu.edu