Light The World - Christmas Star

For the first time in nearly 800 years Jupiter and Saturn aligned to form a bright star in the south western sky at a time when they were easily observable.  This astronomical event is called a 'conjunction' and since this conjunction involved two of the big and bright planets in our solar system, it is called a 'great conjunction."

I particularly liked the photo that Katherine took of their 'star gazing'.

With the help of our neighbor's telescope, I could see Saturn's rings and some of the moons of Jupiter.  I found these two photo on the internet that are what I saw in the telescope last night.  The first photo clearly shows Saturn's rings and the 2nd Jupiter's moons.

Here's the favorite photo I took of the Christmas Star over my friend's home which is decorated for the holiday.

I love the words of the President of our church, Russell M. Nelson concerning this star.

While we don’t need to ascribe any special meaning to the actual phenomenon, tonight’s Christmas star will undoubtedly draw our minds and hearts to the original star that appeared in the heavens to mark the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. For the shepherds in Judea, for the Wise Men, and for the believers in the New World, the star brought more than mere physical light—it brought hope.

My dear friends, as we near the end of a challenging year, one that may feel to many as a time of uncertainty and darkness, let us never forget that the light of hope still shines brightly. Jesus Christ is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. As we turn our hearts to Him, He will pour out His love for us in unmeasured ways. I wish you all a very merry and hope-filled Christmas season. #LightTheWorld