A rare alignment of two planets has caused some interest among residents who have placed calls to Harbour Radio and the Weather Service.

Jupiter and Venus have been visible for the past several days and have been remarkable in that they seem to fade in and out of brightness and move in proximity to each other.

The phenomenon is visible worldwide and in Bethlehem, Israel, church bells pealed after dark.

According to Christian tradition a brightly shining star beckoned the three wise men to the birthplace of Jesus 2,000 years ago.

When contacted last night, a Bermuda Weather Service spokesman said: "They are not actually near one another, just aligned. I've had a couple of calls.

Nobody seemed to panic, just wonder what they were.'' Harbour Radio reported it had received 15 calls, adding: "There was only one person who thought we were being invaded, though.'' The Royal Gazette also received a call, from a 29-year-old man and his 21-year-old female cousin who described the two lights fading, brightening and converging.

The planets can be seen for several hours after sunset in the western sky over Sandys Parish.

Venus and Jupiter converged over the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Tuesday night in much the way some scientists say they may have done to give rise to the story of the Star of Bethlehem.

Israeli astronomer Yigal Pat-El told Reuters: "Something very interesting about this conjunction is that about 2,000 years ago the two planets were in conjunction, but so very, very close that perhaps you couldn't distinguish between the two planets with the naked eye.''