It is commonly thought that the Star of Bethlehem rose in the east and continued to shine as the wise men followed the star to Bethlehem. Recent evidence has shown that this is not the case. Key evidence shown in the Bible reveals nine specific characteristics that this “star” needs to be the true Star of Bethlehem. Beyond these, there are questions about the star and those who witnessed the event that need to be answered. These questions include: Who were the wise men? How did they know what the star meant? And how can a star stop? The first three of the nine points tell what the star meant to the wise men. When the wise men asked in Matthew 2:2 “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” This question implies that the star signified three things: Jews, kingship, and birth. Following this question, the magi informed King Herod: “We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.” So the fourth point is that the star must rise in the east. After Herod heard the news of the star, he called the wise men to him to find out the exact time the star appeared. The fifth and sixth points are that the star appeared at an exact time and that Herod did not know that it had appeared. Since he did not know this, this means that the appearance of this was a regular occurrence. The wise men followed the star, which leads to point seven, the star stood the test of time. The wise men followed the star from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. This creates point eight: the star was traveling ahead of them. The last point concerns intrigue. The wise men followed the star until it stopped over Bethlehem. Point nine: the star had to be able to stop. Can the stars stop? When did the star appear? What was the star? Knowing them will help you find the st... middle of the card... extremely bright star. As Jupiter continued to travel across the sky, it began a movement known as retrograde motion. This movement occurs when an object doubles and takes on an elliptical shape. What makes this event unique is that Jupiter not only performed this movement once, but three times. This was also unheard of before the time of the star. A further look at Jupiter and Regulus shows that they both rise from the east just as the sages claimed. Furthermore, at the same time that Jupiter and Regulus crossed paths, the constellation Leo was rising with the "king" stars at the foot of the constellation. The date is December 25, 3 BC. This incidence most likely signified the conception of Christ. Moving forward nine months in the sky, we find the constellation Virgo in the sky above Bethlehem with a crescent moon at the foot of the constellation, a sign of the birth of Christ.