[mdmathis6]

“You may not agree with this, but a star which at night is seen to be in the eastern sky will soon before morning be in the west, and will appear in different places throughout the year; whereas one that appears on or only above the horizon in southern skies, will be there in the same general locality night after night, although for part of the year it may disappear due to precession of the earth relative to it throughout the year. While those at the north of the equator will always see Polaris in the same place, as one’s location moves to the South Pole, the North star will appear only part of the night until it finally disappears the farther south one moves. That is similar to the fact that the people of USA do not see the Southern Cross constellation: Exploring the Famous Southern Cross Constellation (click here)” YEAH I KNOW ABOUT THE MOVEMENTS OF THE STARS AT NIGHT and changes in through the seasons...and so would the MAGI!

I think they saw a star that stayed fixed all night and in the same place and at the same apparent angle of elevation no matter what the seasons....that is what got their attention.(like Moses who doubtless saw many burning bushes which was common in that desert region nevertheless saw one and still was of the congnitive ability at age 80 to recognize that there was one bush that looked very different in that it wasn’t being consumed.) Over time when it didn’t move and stayed fixed all night, they had to go and look at it. It may have been apparent to them for up to 2 years which is the time span they may have told Herod(thus his destruction of the children 2 years max and under.)

[imardmd1]

And yes, the view south would give a nightly-appearing star that hovered within a narrow arc of when it "rose" and "set" with its mean longitude not changing very mych for them, but perenially incing away over the horizon. So it was longer than two years; yea, generations that these sky-wise expert observers saw, recorded, and followed the regression of the Sign of The Cross down he westerly and southwise course of the Euphrates that arose in their homeland.

For your information, the constellation can still be seen from Brownsville, Texas; but its appearance is still moving south, Brownsville is still almost the same latitude as Dubai! Also, as an intertesting aside, the people of Ankara do not call their huge poultry bird a "turkey.' To them, it is a "Hindi." (I had Turkish citizens as fellow graduate students back in the 1960s and '70s, inviting them to my home for Thanksgiving. They loved a feast of Hindi and stuffing.)