The Christmas Star

Event Information

When

THIS EVENT HAS ENDED
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
iCal / Google Calendar

Online Event

Please register for an invite link.

Watch at the Library

We show online events on our big movie screen (when possible) or in a study room. The event is still online and live, not in-person or pre-recorded.

If you are interested in watching this online event at the library, let us know when you register.

Join us for a fascinating program on perhaps the most famous astronomical event in all history: the Star of Bethlehem.

What occurred in the skies of that time which might have lived on through the centuries as the Christmas Star? Was it a supernatural phenomenon, or was it a natural astronomical occurrence; a function of the inexorable laws of physics, appearing in the night skies at the time of the Nazarene’s birth? Modern astronomy has an explanation—or rather, several possible explanations.

Joe Rao, an Associate and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium, will explore the many fascinating possibilities. Could it have been a dazzling fireball meteor? A spectacular comet? An exploding star or nova? Or perhaps a rare and unusual configuration of the planets?

All the evidence of history and modern astronomy is woven into the answer to create a different kind of Christmas story… just in time for the holiday season!

Sponsored by the Berlin Land Trust.

About the Presenter

Joe Rao is a broadcast meteorologist and an associate and lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.

Video Chat

We will meet online with a video chat using Zoom. If you have never used Zoom before, it is very simple and user friendly. We recommend installing Zoom on whichever device you will use (computer, smartphone, tablet) before the program starts. When you click the invite link, you will be prompted to open or install Zoom.

Download Zoom

Registration