Larson used the Starry Night astronomy computer program along with an article written by astronomer Craig Chester;[1][2][3] based in part on the work of Ernest Martin.
[9] The Star's nine data points are that it signified birth, it signified kingship, it was related to the Jewish nation, and it "rose in the East";[10] it was not known to Herod the Great;[11] it appeared at a specific time;[12] it endured over time;[13] it was before the Magi as they traveled south to Bethlehem from Jerusalem,[14] and then, according to the Bible,[15] it stopped over the city of Bethlehem.
[19] (In Molnar's book, The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi, he documents Jesus' birth as Saturday [Sabbath] April 17, 6 BC due to a triple conjunction in Aries).
This is concurred by the Biblical scholar Colin R. Nicholl, who disagrees with the Martin-Larson hypothesis,[20] and presents his views in his book The Great Christ Comet.
[31] Christian Cinema reviewer Angela Walker wrote, "The Star of Bethlehem doesn't have an MPAA rating, but the nature of the subject would probably earn it a PG for thematic elements (that being the birth of Jesus Christ).