The “Star of Bethlehem” to rise at Stonehenge this Christmas?

There’ll be an extra element in this year’s Winter solstice at Stonehenge. If you drive along the A303 on the late afternoon of 21st December you’ll be able to see the stones in the pale light of the Winter Solstice sunset and then 45 minutes later you’d be able to see Jupiter and Saturn so closely aligned they’ll almost look like one.

It’s the first time the Great Conjunction has happened since the thirteenth century and the fact it is at solstice and Christmas time adds quite a dimension. However, we doubt you’ll hear much about it from English Heritage et al.

Why? Because if they get their way the solstice view of the stones will only be visible from the road for a couple more years and then never again. Plus, after this month, travellers will never see the spectacle of the Great Conjunction from there again. That’s the trouble with tunnels, they hide magic and replace it with concrete!

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The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 7BCE (believed by many to have been the Star of Bethlehem).