Another significant meteor shower takes place in the summer. It is known as the “tears of St. Lawrence,” because the event occurs near the martyred saint’s feast on August 10.
Over the years, scientists have tried to determine whether the “star of Bethlehem” mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel as leading the Magi to the Infant Jesus, was indeed a star . . . or a comet or a meteor. General consensus today is that the star was not a meteor. That’s because a shooting star moves quickly across the night skies, and wouldn’t have lingered over the site where Jesus was born.
- Little Blue Book, January 4