The comet of 5 BC had a tail, while the one that came a year later did not. Professor Huang notes that the comet of 5 BC was visible about an hour before sunrise some 30 to 40 degrees above the horizon to the south-southeast. This matches the description of the unusual star that the Magi reportedly saw in the east.
黃一農表示，建平二年見於牽牛的彗星，在日出前一小時，可以在東南至南方地平線上約三、四十度處見到，恰與博士在東方所見異星敘述吻合。