MUNCIE, Ind. -- Religious leaders and astronomers have searched the skies for 2,000 years to find the star that announced the birth of Christ. Yet, the "star" may have appeared significant to only a few people, says a Ball State University astronomer.

Ron Kaitchuck, an astronomy professor, believes the star described by the Bible may have been simply a planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Venus -- not the great light as seen on many biblical paintings and modern postcards.

"It would have been only seen by people who knew the skies very, very well," said Kaitchuck, who directs the planetarium at Ball State and heads the annual Star of Bethlehem program. "It is not something that lit up the night sky and could lead someone to a particular place.

"By going back in the computer to check the skies of the time, we find that in about 2 B.C. there was a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter," he said. "At that point in time and without any modern equipment, they would have seemed to merge into a single point of light on the horizon."

Kaitchuck said historical information from the time of Jesus Christ's birth is limited. There is no mention in any surviving books of an usually bright star during that time. The astronomers of the Chinese imperial court, which kept detailed records of the stars, did not record any unusual observations.

"Astronomers were more astrologists at that point in time because the two had not separated," he said. "Yet, you had to know what was going to happen and there were to be no surprises, such as an eclipse, for the king or royal court. Events such as an eclipse were thought to be bad luck. In China, failing to predict one eclipse cost some astronomers their lives."

The Bible contains four references about the "star" in one of its books. However, the definition of a star in the Bible refers to any light, including planets, asteroids and other objects, he said.

"The Bible says that few knew about the event and even the shepherds of the time weren't aware of it," Kaitchuck said. "King Herod (ruler the area for the Roman Empire), who had several astronomers in his court, was unaware of any unusual celestial events during the time period in question.

According to several sources, Herod sought an answer from the arriving Magi, commonly known as the wisemen, who claimed a star guided them to the area to seek the "new king."

"The conjunction of Jupiter and Venus was just above the horizon, in the area of Bethlehem for the Magi," Kaitchuck said. "They had to know what they were looking for. At that time, people were very aware of the skies for several reasons. Knowing the skies allowed you to travel from place to place, just like having a map of the ground."

Even with computer analysis, the professor admits he cannot be 100 percent certain that a planetary conjunction accounts for the Star of Bethlehem.

"I am not being funny, but the bright star in the sky really does help sell Christmas cards," Kaitchuck said. "It does satisfy some sort of need to know what happened at the time."