Archive for December, 2019

New Moon / Annular Solar Eclipse in Capricorn – Dec. 26, 2019, 05:13 UT

Saturday, December 28th, 2019

The New Moon at 4+ degrees of Capricorn was an annular solar eclipse. The eclipse occurred in close conjunction with Jupiter. Jupiter represents the energy of expansiveness. The Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn is tightening towards January. The conjunction can manifest in several ways. Pluto is the lord of transformation and Saturn represents structures, so we may need to build new social structures.

This solar eclipse is a member of a Saros series number 3 South. Each Saros series starts as a tiny eclipse at either the North or South Pole, produces an eclipse every 18 years, and finishes at the opposite Pole. Each eclipse family has the characteristics of its own. The Saros series 3 South started on Aug. 13, 1208 at the South Pole. Mercury was in conjunction with the New Moon in Leo. Also in Leo, Pluto was conjunct the South node of the Moon. According to astrologer Bernadette Brady, there is a sense of traumatic transformation because of the involvement of Pluto. Saturn was in Cancer, right opposite the current solar eclipse.

The Capricorn eclipse was not visible in Finland, but in astrology, even if the eclipse is not visible where you live, it has an impact nevertheless. The effect can be felt already beforehand, and the eclipse degree can remain as a sensitive point for years to come.

The astrological climate is reflected in the recent developments of the world, for example in the impeachment of Donald Trump and the certainty of Brexit after Boris Johnson’s election victory in the 2019 general election in England.

The lunar nodes of Finland lie on the Cancer-Capricorn axis. Finland’s Mercury is conjunct the North node in early Capricorn and Pluto is conjunct the South node in early Cancer. The Capricorn solar eclipse took place tightly opposite Finland’s Pluto. In the eclipse chart there are also several prominent minor planets transiting the nodal axis of Finland. Pholus and Quaoar were in conjunction with the eclipse and square to Chiron and Salacia in early Aries.

In Finland the recent weeks have been eventful. The Centre Party lost confidence in Prime Minister Antti Rinne due to controversies on the handling of a postal strike, and the government had to resign. The change is for the better. Sanna Marin of the Social Democratic Party became the new prime minister and the youngest serving state leader in the world. The other four parties in the government coalition have women leaders. Out of the 19 government ministers in the new cabinet, 12 are women.

There has been a heated debate on the repatriation of the Finnish women and children at al-Hol camp in Syria. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto from the Green League, has been at the center of a dispute over the issue. He won the confidence vote over the repatriation of the Finns. The debate will continue in January. At least two orphaned children from the camp have now safely arrived in Finland.

Full Moon in Gemini – Dec. 12, 2019, 05:12 UT

Wednesday, December 11th, 2019

Lately we have learned about rare visitors, interstellar objects passing through our solar system. First there was Oumuamua, the “first distant messenger”, which was already heading away from the Sun when it was discovered in October 2017. Then in August 2019 came Comet Borisov. Surprisingly there is one that has been with us all along and aims to stay, namely asteroid 514107 Kaʻepaokaʻawela.

The Full Moon in Gemini happens on Dec. 12, 2019. Opposite the Moon in Sagittarius is the unusual asteroid Kaʻepaokaʻawela in conjunction with the Sun. Kaʻepaokaʻawela is outstanding in many ways.

Kaʻepaokaʻawela’s orbit is retrograde. In other words, it moves opposite direction to most other bodies in the solar system. It is in a resonant, co-orbital motion with Jupiter. It is the first known asteroid in a 1:1 resonance with any of the planets. Its orbital period around the Sun is close to that of Jupiter.

How come Kaʻepaokaʻawela avoids crashing into the gas giant Jupiter? It passes either inside or outside Jupiter’s orbit, and each time it passes near Jupiter, its orbital elements are slightly altered. Scientists have concluded that Kaʻepaokaʻawela is originally an interstellar body and it has been in its retrograde resonance with Jupiter since the origin of the solar system. How it got captured into its orbit is still a mystery.

Kaʻepaokaʻawela was discovered in November 2014 by astronomers of the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii. It was first known by its provisional name 2015 BZ509 and nicknamed Bee-Zed. The official name was given in April 2019. According to the official naming citation, the name Kaʻepaokaʻawela means “the mischievous opposite moving companion of Jupiter, evoking the image of a retrograde object of unknown origin.” The name was created by a Hawaiian-language program dedicated to naming objects discovered with Pan-STARRS. This program consists of Hawaiian language experts and astronomers at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii.

Examples:

Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dec. 22, 1887 – April 26, 1920) was an extraordinary Indian mathematician, who had almost no formal training in pure mathematics. He developed his own mathematical research in isolation. His original and highly unconventional results have opened entire new areas of work and inspired a vast amount of further research. He has the Sun conjunct Kaʻepaokaʻawela in Capricorn.

Edwin Hubble (Nov. 20, 1889 – Sept. 28, 1953) is regarded as one of the most important astronomers of all time. The Hubble Space Telescope was named in his honor. His Sun in the last degree of Scorpio is in conjunction with Kaʻepaokaʻawela in the first degree of Sagittarius.

Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American journalist, novelist, and short-story writer. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. His Capricorn Moon is conjunct the retrograding Kaʻepaokaʻawela.

Judge Bone, aka Tuomari Nurmio (born Nov. 21, 1950) is a Finnish rock singer and songwriter. He is constantly renovating himself and is regarded one of the most original Finnish singer-songwriters. His Sun-Kaʻepaokaʻawela conjunction in Scorpio is square to Jupiter in Aquarius.

Bob Lazar (born Jan. 26, 1959) is primarily known for his claims of having been hired in the late 1980s to reverse-engineer purported extraterrestrial technology at a secret site called “S-4”. He has the Sun-Kaʻepaokaʻawela conjunction in Aquarius.

Brian Molko (born Dec. 10, 1972) is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the British band Placebo. He has been quoted as calling the band “music for outsiders, by outsiders”. His Sun-Kaʻepaokaʻawela conjunction is in Sagittarius.

Amy Winehouse (Sept.14, 1983 – July 23, 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. Bob Dylan has called her “the last real individualist around.” Amy’s Moon is conjunct the retrograding Kaʻepaokaʻawela in Capricorn.