Tim O'Brien, associate director of Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, suggests this would have looked striking.

BBC: Star of Bethlehem: The astronomical explanations

Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain will present their Stargazing Live series live from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire from 8-10 January on BBC Two.

BBC: Stargazing live: Astronomers stage Isle of Man events

While he wasn't the first to leap into the field, he established the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory to study cosmic rays in 1945 and organized the construction of what would ultimately be called the Lovell Telescope -- a radio telescope so large and useful that it's still the third-largest steerable example in the world, 55 years after it was first put into action.

ENGADGET: Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98 Alt