The Next Star of Bethlehem in 2080

The Star of Bethlehem is a phenomenon produced by the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn: the alignment of celestial bodies with an observer. On 21 December 2020, it will be possible to see the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in the Solar System. The planets will be 0.1 degrees apart. From Earth, this will make them appear as a single, very bright point in the sky. 

The Star of Bethlehem is a rare phenomenon. It was last seen in 1226, and after 2020 the next will not occur until 2080, followed by 2400. This year, the Star of Bethlehem will appear in the sky on the night of the winter solstice, 21 December.

What we regard as ‘very bright points’, as clear signs, is to a considerable extent the result of involuntary calculation and the overlapping effects of many unconscious cognitive processes and circumstances of perspective. 

Even signs as bright as the Star prove to be projections shaped by a cultural conception.