h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A man was minding his sheep when he saw that famous Christmas star in the night sky. As he walked around on the hill he kept an eye on the star. Whenever he moved the star moved.
It's the same with the moon. You may have observed the moon during a bus or car journey. It will seem to fly around the heavens like an idiot, esp. as the bus turns a corner.
To tell you the truth it's not easy to say where things are and are not when you are wise.
It's a bit like looking for gold at the rainbow's end.

Very true, the illusion of movement is dependant in depth and other objects to provide perspective. As astronomical objects are millions of miles away, their movement is difficult to judge.

Remember, the Wise Men saw the star in the East, so they went West. They weren't following the star, but following the directions it gave.

There's more to it than that.Following the star to the west would bring the wise men to Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast.

The Magi called on Herod in Jerusalem, as one would expect, to ask about the 'royal birth'. On leaving Herod they followed the star - now southwards - to Bethlehem "until it [the star] stopped over the place where the child was."

It was Micah of Moresheth (Micah Ch.5 v.2)who first gave Bethlehem as the birthplace of the one whose genealogy can be traced back 42 generations to Abraham.

Who is Micah of Moresheth and when did he live? I thought Bethlehem was mentioned in one of the Gospels, and that that was the only reference to it (other than being predicted by prophets).

Micah(of Moresheth) is the prophet who predicted that "the ruler" would be born in Bethlehem. He lived in the 8th century BC.
He wrote: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come ... one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.

Micah lived and worked in Judea in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah; about the same time as Isaiah: a prophet who made more predictions of doom than Old Mother Shipton and Nostradamus put together.

Herod questioned the Magi as to where the baby was to be born they quoted Micah: But you Bethlehem ... are by no means least ... for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

Source: Micah (Old Testament) and Matthew (New Testament).

An article by Thomas W. Kraupe of Hamburg Planetarium in next January's PM is accompanied by a map showing the route of the three kings from Ur which is quite near the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and not far from the Persian Gulf; in fact almost in the Iraqi province of Basra.
The three kings apparently set off in a north-westerly direction along the Euphrates passing through Babylon before turning south-west to Damascus. They then went south to Jerusalem and then south again to Bethlehem. They returned to Ur using the same star to navigate as they had used to reach Bethlehem.