Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

location of the constellations, as seen from Rome during that time period, can be determined using RedShift 3 

astronomy software.

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    Julius Caesar's comet was also  seen to  rise in the northern sky at about the time of sunset. Now comets 

move across the sky, but not quickly enough to appear to rise in the sky by their own motion. They appear to 

rise or set because of their location relative to the spin of the earth. So if the constellation, against which the 

comet is seen, is rising or setting, so also will the comet appear to rise or set. The constellation given as the 

location of the comet must have been rising about the time of sunset as seen from Rome. 

    Furthermore, the above quote from Augustus places the visibility of the comet  about an hour before 

sunset.  However, this translation of the original Latin is flawed. The original Latin reads:  circa undecimam 

horam diei,  which means  about the eleventh hour of the day. 

813

 The expression  the eleventh hour of the 

day  refers to the division of the daylight hours into 12 parts. The eleventh hour refers to the end of the 

eleventh hour, and the beginning of the twelfth and last hour of daylight. Ordinarily these 12 parts of the 

daylight hours were counted from sunrise to sunset. However, Augustus may not have been able to see the 

horizon at the time that he saw the comet. Since he saw this comet during his Games, he may have been in a 

stadium that did not have a view of the horizon. He would not then know exactly when the sun had set. His 

expression  about the eleventh hour of the day  could then be interpreted to refer to a point in time about an 

hour before darkness, rather than an hour before sunset. Notice also that he states the time approximately, 

using the word  circa  meaning  about.  The time of the visibility of the comet could well have been 

somewhat less than an hour before the onset of darkness, rather than one hour before sunset. 

   Now the sky is just as bright an hour before sunset, as 2 hours before sunset, or as   hour before sunset. But 

a few minutes after sunset, roughly an hour before the sky becomes as dark as at night, the sky begins to dim 

and the first stars are visible. This is exactly the time of day when one should expect a comet to first become 

visible. It makes much more sense for the time of day when the comet was first seen to be a little after the sun 

had set (but about an hour before darkness), because then any objects in the sky would be made more easily 

visible by the dimming of the sky. Thus, the comet seen by Augustus must have been visible beginning a little 

after sunset, about an hour before darkness, not an hour before sunset. 

    In 44 

B.C.

, there was indeed a comet seen and recorded by ancient Chinese astronomers, during the lunar 

month of May 18 to June 16.

814

 They describe this comet as having been seen in the constellation Orion.

815

During that time period, as seen from Rome, Orion rose in the eastern sky after dawn and began to set in the 

western sky before sunset. They did not record any other comets that year, nor any in the northern part of the 

sky. At that time, the constellation Orion began to set in the sky well before sunset. The comet of 44 

B.C.

 must 

also have been setting, not rising, about the time of sunset. Orion was rising above the horizon sometime after 

dawn, not at sunset. 

    Furthermore, the constellation Orion began to set about two hours before sunset. Orion was above the 

horizon all day, from the point of view of Rome. By one hour before sunset, about half of the constellation 

Orion had set below the horizon. So, if the comet of 44 

B.C.

 had been seen an hour before sunset (the usual 

interpretation), it would also have been seen through out that day. For the sky is no dimmer an hour before 

sunset as two hours or more before sunset, and Orion was well above the horizon throughout most of the 

day.

816

 But Augustus clearly states it was first seen at the end of the daylight hours, not throughout the day. On 

the other hand, if the correct interpretation of Augustus' words is that the comet was first seen a little after 

sunset (about an hour before darkness), by that time Orion had already set in the sky and the comet of 44 

B.C.

would not have been seen. Therefore, the comet of 44 

B.C.

, described by Chinese astronomers as located in 

Orion, could not have been the comet after the death of Julius Caesar. 

    For the 44 

B.C.

 date to be correct, one would have to hypothesize that there was a second comet, which 

Augustus described as  a bright star visible from all lands,  but which the diligent Chinese astronomers missed 

completely. The Chinese astronomers were careful observers of the stars and kept detailed records, so this is an 

unlikely hypothesis and one which lacks any evidence to support it.. 

    In 47 

B.C.

, Chinese astronomers recorded seeing a comet during the lunar month of June 20 to July 18 near 

the group of stars called the Pleiades.

817

 This group of stars, during that time period, viewed from Rome, set in 

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