Page "Halley's Comet" Paragraph 56

The apparition of 12 BCE was recorded in the Book of Han by Chinese astronomers of the Han Dynasty who tracked it from August through October.

It passed within 0. 16 AU of the Earth.

Halley's appearance in 12 BCE, only a few years distant from the conventionally assigned date of the birth of Jesus Christ, has led some theologians and astronomers to suggest that it might explain the biblical story of the Star of Bethlehem.

There are other explanations for the phenomenon, such as planetary conjunctions, and there are also records of other comets that appeared closer to the date of Jesus ' birth.