A universal question

Every year, the Pope’s astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno is asked the same “infuriating” question about the Star of Bethlehem. So we got in on the act too

What was the Star of Bethlehem? It’s a question we at the Vatican Observatory get asked every Christmas… “What was the Star of Bethlehem?” Sometimes I answer politely. Sometimes I just ignore the question. Paul Mueller and I spent a whole chapter on the topic in our 2014 book Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial (and other questions from the astronomers’ in-box at the Vatican Observatory) . People love asking it. Apparently they don’t bother to read any of the answers, though, because regardless of how we respond, it comes up again every year. What was the Star of Bethlehem? I don’t know. What was the Star of Bethlehem? It doesn’t matter. What was the Star of Bethlehem? It’s… kind of a fun puzzle, I have to admit… however reluctantly… There is way too little detail in the…

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The Big Issue United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, 18-12-2017

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