New Moon in Pisces — February 23, 2020, 15:32 UT

The official naming of Gonggong, a trans-Neptunian known so far as 2007 OR10, couldn’t have been released at more convenient time. The New Moon in Pisces was in exact conjunction with Gonggong.

Gonggong was discovered in 2007 by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown, and David Rabinowitz. The size estimate has varied during the years. According to the latest measurements in 2018, it is the fifth-largest trans-Neptunian object, right after the official four dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.

Gonggong is a scattered disc object. The orbital period is 553 years. It completes three orbits around the Sun for every ten orbits completed by Neptune. It is currently moving farther from the Sun after reaching its perihelion in 1857. Gonggong has a satellite.

Last spring the discovery team hosted a poll for the general public to help choose the name for 2007 OR10 between three possible options: Gonggong from Chinese mythology, Vili from Norse mythology, and Holle from German mythology. I was hoping that Vili would win. The Vikings found the Americas before Columbus, so wouldn’t it be only fair to give a name for one of the distant bodies from the Norse mythology? There is already an asteroid named Odin, and the name can’t be used anymore, but Odin is a god of many names. Vili was an excellent option, meaning “will”. Although Vili is mentioned as Odin’s brother in the mythology, he actually represents one aspect of Odin himself.

Gonggong was the winning name, and it was proposed to the International Astronomical Union. Gonggong is a Chinese water god with red hair and a serpent-like tail. He is known for creating chaos, causing flooding, and tilting the Earth; he is often depicted with the head of a human and the body of a snake. Gonggong is often attended by his minister, Xiangliu, a nine-headed poisonous snake monster for whom the satellite is named.

People with a prominent Gonggong:

Dane Rudhyar (March 23, 1895 – Sept. 13, 1985) was a French-born American author, composer, philosopher and astrologer. He is a pioneer of modern transpersonal astrology and one of most respected astrologers of the 20th century. — Gonggong conjunct ascendant in Sagittarius.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Christian minister and activist, the leader of the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He was advancing civil rights through nonviolence. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Capricorn.

Jane Fonda (born Dec. 21, 1937) is an American actress, political activist, and former fashion model. — Jupiter and Gonggong conjunct ascendant in Capricorn, the Jupiter-Gonggong conjunction = Sun / Mars.

Richie Havens (Jan. 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American folk rock musician. He opened the 1969 Woodstock rock festival, which was a major turning point in his career. He also devoted his energies to educating young people about ecological issues. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius.

Angela Davis (born Jan. 26, 1944) is an American political activist, academic, and author. Ideologically she is a Marxist and was a member of the Communist Party USA until 1991. She has written several books on class, feminism, and the U.S. prison system. — A Grand trine in air formed by a triple conjunction of Mars, Uranus and Vesta in Gemini, Neptune in Libra, and a conjunction of the Sun, Echeclus, Okyrhoe and Gonggong in Aquarius. Eris in Aries completes the pattern into a Kite configuration.

George R. R. Martin (born Sept. 20, 1948) is an American novelist in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres, screenwriter, and television producer. He has been called “the American Tolkien”. He wrote the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted into the HBO series Game of Thrones. — Gonggong on the Midheaven in Aquarius square the lunar nodes.

John Belushi (Jan. 24, 1949 — March 5, 1982) was an American actor, comedian and singer. He founded the Blues Brothers with Dan Aykroyd. He struggled with heavy drug use and died from drug overdose in 1982. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius, the Sun-Gonggong conjunction = Chiron / Eris.

Jörg Haider (Jan. 26, 1950 – Oct. 11, 2008) was an Austrian right-wing populist politician. He died in a car accident shortly after the 2008 Austrian Parliamentary elections. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius.

Phil Collins (born Jan. 30, 1951) is an English musician. He was the drummer and the lead singer of the rock band Genesis, and is also a solo artist. He is one of the world’s best-selling artists and praised by many, but also been called as “the most hated man in rock” and as “the pop star that nobody likes”. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius.

Dennis Delaney (born Jan. 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actor, and former environmental activist who became the first National Director of Greenpeace USA in 1980. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius.

Oprah Winfrey (born Jan. 29, 1954) is an American talk show hostess, actress, producer, and publisher. – Triple conjunction of the Sun, Venus and Gonggong in Aquarius.

Nicolas Sarkozy (born Jan. 28, 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012. He has been charged with corruption by French prosecutors in two cases, notably concerning the alleged Libyan interference in the 2007 French elections. — Triple conjunction of the Sun, Albion and Gonggong in Aquarius.

John Lydon, also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, (born Jan. 31, 1956), is an English punk musician. He is best known as the lead singer of the punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. They are regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music. — A stellium consisting of the Sun, Gonggong, Albion, Damocles, Chiron, Pholus, Mercury Rx and Pallas in Aquarius.

Ayrton Senna (March 21, 1960 – May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He died in an accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. — Damocles and Pholus conjunct Gonggong on the ascendant in Aquarius, the Damocles-Pholus- Gonggong conjunction = Moon / Mercury Rx.

Eva Cassidy (Feb. 2, 1963 – Nov. 2, 1996) was an American singer and guitarist, consistently voted one of the greatest singers of all time. She died of melanoma in 1996. Her posthumously released recordings, including three number-one albums and one number-one single in the UK, have sold more than ten million copies. — A stellium consisting of the Sun, Gonggong, Satrurn, Damocles, Pholus, Albion and Chariklo in Aquarius.

Sherilyn Fenn (born Feb. 1, 1965) is an American actress, best known for her role as Audrey Horne on the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017). Anyone who watched the series can remember her dancing to Angelo Badalamenti’s music. Fenn has said about Audrey: “Audrey’s been great for me. She has brought out a side of me that’s more mischievous and fun that I had suppressed, trying to be an adult. She has made it OK to use the power one has as a woman to be manipulative at times, to be precocious. She goes after what she wants vehemently and she takes it. I think that’s really admirable. I love that about her.” – A conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Ceres, Gonggong and Damocles in Aquarius.

Lisa Marie Presley (born Feb. 1, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. She is the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong, Vesta and Damocles in Aquarius.

Bobby Brown (born Feb. 5, 1969) is an American singer, rapper, and actor. He is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing, a fusion of hip hop and R&B. He was married to Whitney Houston, with whom he had a daughter named Bobbi Kristina Brown. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong and Damocles in Aquarius.

Lisa Hannigan (born Feb. 12, 1981) is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician. She began her career as a member of Damien Rice’s band, but was fired from the band by Rice. She began her solo career in 2007. Hannigan performs using “broken-down, wheezy old instruments”. Herbie Hancock has said of her vocals, “There’s so much jazz in the notes and phrases that she picks… I mean some of the things sound like choices that Miles would have made.” — The Sun conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius.

Gyaincain Norbu (born Feb. 13, 1990) is considered the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism by the government of the People’s Republic of China. After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, a dispute between the Chinese leadership and the exiled 14th Dalai Lama resulted in two competing candidates. — The Sun conjunct Gonggong and Salacia in Aquarius.

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