1 J Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, Saturday, Dee. 24, 1949
Various Theories Heard About
- Star of Bethlehem Phenomenon
Bv J. HUGH PRUETT
. Astronomer, Extension" Division, Oregon Higher Education System
With the coming of the Christmas season there Is brought to
ns anew the beautiful story of the Star of Bethlehem. In recent
years it has become the custom of astronomical writers and the
operators of the Zeiss planetaria throughout the country to pre
sent at this time various theories regarding the nature of the
nVinnmfnnn of long ago. 6
To those who feel that God's
universe at al ltimes operates
through natural laws, such spec
ulations seem pei
others, the believers in supernat- I Ufl Ult
4 Big Liners
ural manifestations on great oc
easions, these inquiries may ap
pear somewhat irreligious. There
Is a third group which main
tains there never was a Christ
mas star of any sort and the
entire story is merely
myth."
The attempted explanations
have become so well known that
they need only be reviewed
here. Planetary groupings have
long been favored as likely solu
tions. In 6 B.C Mars, Jupiter and
Saturn formed a compact tri
angle. Weitzel has calculated
that seven years later a still
brighter combination. Mars, Mer
cury Jupiter and Venus in close
formation adorned the eastern
November dawn.
Others believe the Star was a
a brilliant nova (new star) such
as now sometimes flashes out
where no star has been noticed
before. Or perhaps it was a
bright comet Halley's appeared
near that time or a flaming
meteor.
We have a gorgeous Christ
mas star this year Hardly has
the twilight begun to darken the
evening sky when in the south
west the planet Venus blazes
forth with a glory that is some
times amazing. Many exclaim.
"I never saw such a brilliant
atar before!" Venus has over
several months gradually been
brightening as it has drawn
nearer the earth and presented
the most favorable lighted area.
December 26. the "goddess of
lovt and beauty" reaches her
greatest brilliancy. Early next
near, she will leave the evening
twilight and reappear In the
eastern dawn.
. The large star-group, the
Northern Cross, every year a
dorns our Christmas heavens.
Between 8 and 9 p.m. ft is stand
ing almost upright about over
the northwestern horizon. The
bright Deneb at its head, the
cross arm of three conspicu
ous stars and the line of fainter
lights extending downward can
be easily outlined.
A correspondent recently ob
served the moonless evening sky
almost entirely mottled for a
ahort period with fluffy little
clouds, with not a single star
In view toward the west ex
cepting the five principal ones
outlining the Northern Cross.
"In the dark blue they stood
out as clear as crystal with
vhile fluffs all around them."
It Is not necessary to go back
1000 years for splendid Yuletide
atara. Give us a cloudless night
and the sky Is ablaze with col
ored Christmas lights. It is as
If the floor of heaven were "thick
Inlaid with patines of bright
gold". If some happiness is not
possible when "the heavens are
calling you, and wheel around
you displaying their eternal
beauties," then surely "still your
eye Is on the ground."
San Francisco, Dec. 24 W)
Plans for early construction of
four new modern combination
passenger-cargo liners were an-
piousinounced today by American
President lines.
President George Killion dis
closed, too, that the company
was studying the possibility of
building two fast passenger ships
at least twice as large as the 573-
foot President Cleveland class
vessels now operated by the company.
The four new 'round-the-
world liners would cost approxi
mately $40,000,000. These ships,
Killion said, would be in addi
tion to three V-2000 type luxury
liners now under construction
at Camden, N. J.
The proposed new ships would
have a cruising speed of 19
knots. They would have accom
modations for 60 passengers and
525,000 cubic feet of cargo space.
When the present ship con
struction program is completed.
Killion said, American President
lines will own 22 fast, modern
passenger and cargo liners.
ish Suspend
Trade with Huns
London, Dec. 24 Britain
has suspended trade and finan
cial talks with Hungary because
that country refused to allow a
British consul general to see in
Englishman arrested in Buda
pest as a spy.
The foreign office announced
today that the month-long talks
were suspended last Monday.
The Englishman concerned is
Edgar Sanders. Along with Rob
ert C. Vogeler, an American, he
was arrested in Budapest Nov.
22 on charges of espionage. Both
Vogeler and Sanders are offi
cials of the American-owned In
ternational Telephone and Tele
graph company, of New York.
Immediately after Sanders'
arrest, the British minister in
Budapest asked permission to
see him, a foreign office spokes
man said. The request was re
fused formally Nov. 30 and oth
er and more insistent requests
have been rejected since.
The Hungarian trade delega
tion is returning to Budapest
this week-end.
In the Rome of Cicero's time,
lumber was sold by weight.
Severe Failure of
Power at McMinnville
McMinnville, Dec. 24 (If)
This town's worst power failure
in eight years occurred Friday
just as a heavy storm struck the
area.
The 115-kilovolt line between
Salem and McMinnville went
out, blacking out all this town
for about five minutes. The city s
diesel generating system then
was put into emergency opera
tion, restoring power to hospitals
and part of the business district
The rest of the town, however,
remained without power.
Bonneville said it had not yet
been able to locate the trouble,
but thought it might be a fallen
tree.
y 416
Best wishes for
a Merry Christmas and
a Very Happy New Year.
may each and every day of it
be filled with joy and cheerl
The Man's Shop
The Store of Style, Quality & Value"
MOXLEY & HUNTINGTON
State St.
Salem, Ore. J
1
-I
CURISTniftS DAy,
73 S..3I
IIS
1
'&LJS f Jb"g,Vnr
SmmL mml I?
S
J
Kick
S
' lAJiiliei or your lappu JolidaijS
llie Jufj-ilimenl
vera r4ope and oUream tlx
a 1
e
niwer to Ijjour lveru lAJidt a
and JfroSperoui lfew ear willx
'1 our
tncere Appreciation oj? jour J-riendiineA3
and fatronaae.