It is only necessary
to say that the supposition of a connection between the phenomenon of
the Magi and Tycho's star is without any scientific foundation. It was
originally based on an unwarranted assumption that the star of Tycho
was a variable of long period, appearing once every three hundred and
fifteen years, or thereabout. If that were true there would have been
an apparition somewhere near the traditional date of the birth of
Christ, a date which is itself uncertain. But even the data on which
the assumption was based are inconsistent with the theory. Certain
monkish records speak of something wonderful appearing in the sky in
the years 1264 and 945, and these were taken to have been outbursts of
Tycho's star. Investigation shows that the records more probably refer
to comets, but even if the objects seen were temporary stars, their
dates do not suit the hypothesis; from 945 to 1264 there is a gap of
319 years, and from 1264 to 1572 one of only 308 years; moreover 337
years have now (1909) elapsed since Tycho saw the last glimmer of his
star. Upon a variability so irregular and uncertain as that, even if
we felt sure that it existed, no conclusion could be found concerning
an apparition occurring 2000 years ago.
In the year 1600 (the year in which Giordano Bruno was burned at the
stake for teaching that there is more than one physical world), a
temporary star of the third magnitude broke out in the constellation
Cygnus, and curiously enough, considering the rarity of such
phenomena, only four years later another surprisingly brilliant one
appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus.
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