Astronomical Evidence
Now that we've seen the consistent and corroborative Biblical and historical accounts, are these supported by any astronomical evidence?
Interestingly, beginning with early fall of 3 BC, and ending in December of 2 BC, a number of phenomena in the movement of heavenly bodies were sighted from earth, especially Jerusalem.
As mentioned earlier, in Matthew 2 when the magi paid homage to Jesus who was born over a year before, they relied on the star of Bethlehem to guide them. According to the earlier historians, that happened in December, 2 BC when Jupiter seemingly and coincidentally appeared to have stopped over Bethlehem.
Before Dr. Ernest L. Martin died in 2002, he undertook an extensive research about the astronomical phenomena surrounding the birth of Jesus. He wrote a book entitled “The Star of Bethlehem – The Star That Astonished The World” which can be freely read at http://www.askelm.com/star/index.asp, courtesy of Associates for Scriptural Knowledge.
Below is a quote from Chapter 5 - The Time of Jesus' Birth:
An Exact Date Can Be Picked
There are only three places in the New Testament that record events connected with the birth of Jesus. They are in Matthew’s Gospel, Luke’s Gospel and chapter twelve of the Book of Revelation. This latter book has some information about Jesus’ birth that should be considered, though it must be admitted that all data in the Book of Revelation are highly symbolic. Yet the figurative nature of the book may contain the very clue we need to precisely date the birth of Jesus.
People of the 1st century were very prone to use astronomical signs as having bearing on historical and religious events. They were especially important regarding the births of eminent people, and kings in particular. Because of this, the section about Jesus’ birth in the Book of Revelation may have been significantly related to particular heavenly signs that Jesus had formerly told his disciples to be aware of (Luke 21:11).
Let us look at Revelation 12:1–5. It gives us precise indications as to the hour and the day that Jesus was born. This section should be read carefully.
“And there was a great wonder [sign] in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder [sign] in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” (Revelation 12:1–5)
The scene just described is symbolic. Certainly, this could hardly be a description of the virgin Mary. This “woman” had the heavens associated with her — the Sun, Moon and the Twelve Stars. John said that the display was a wonder (a sign) and that it was “in heaven.” What did he mean by the phrase “in heaven”?
The Bible speaks of three “heavens.” The first is the heaven in which the birds fly and all weather phenomena occur (Jeremiah 4:25; 1 Kings 18:45). The second is that of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars (Genesis 1:17). The third heaven is that where God lives (2 Corinthians 12:2). Which of these heavens is meant?
People of the 1st century would have had no difficulty in interpreting the proper “heaven” that was intended by the apostle John. The Sun, Moon, and stars are not located in our atmosphere where the birds and the clouds exist. They are also not found in the heaven where God has His abode because John himself tells us that the Sun or Moon are not needed in that region (Revelation 21:23). The only “heaven” that is reasonable is that where the Sun, Moon and the Twelve Stars are located. The Book of Genesis revealed that the celestial bodies were made by God to give signs (Genesis 1:14). Jewish opinion included among these “signs” the astronomical associations between the Sun, Moon, planets, stars and constellations. (Philo, Op. Mund., 55; Rashi, Commentary, I.5) There can hardly be a doubt that such astronomical “signs” as these are referred to in the Book of Revelation. (Lange’s Commentary, X.34) With these points in mind, we may have some interesting clues that will provide us with the exact time of Jesus’ birth.