The Mars-Pluto opposition was exact in the early hours of the day. The New Moon in Taurus follows in the evening. The New Moon forms a t-square with the Mars-Pluto opposition.

Yesterday we witnessed the funeral of Pope Francis. Heads of state were gathering, cardinals were dressed in red and gold. But Francis was above all a humble pope of the common people and the poor. Pope Francis died on Easter, which was startling in itself, but the chart cast for the time of his death is one of the most astonishing in a long time.

The unpredictable Uranus, one of the emissaries of change, was at the ascendant of Pope Francis’ death chart. Francis had been discharged from the hospital and just the previous day he appeared in public, so his death came as a schock.

It was the Last Quarter Moon, which is the phase of letting go, the time of release and transformation. The Moon in early Aquarius had just opposed Mars in Leo, squared the Sun in Taurus, and now conjoined Pluto in Aquarius. Pluto means transformation. The Moon symbolizes the common people, crowds, and matters of a public nature. The Moon-Pluto conjunction was exactly at the Midheaven, the highest position of the chart. In addition, in the first degree of Aquarius, as a part of the conjunction and the t-square, was the centaur planet Hylonome, the symbol of grief.

Centaur planet Hylonome was discovered 30 years ago, in February 1995. It is a dark body with the orbital period of 126 years. Astrologer Eric Francis Coppolino has written about the proving moment for Hylonome during the funeral of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 (The Mountain Astrologer, Oct./Nov. 2012). Tens of thousands of mourning Palestinians attended the ceremony in Ramallah. Eric was watching the funeral on TV at the moment of the Scorpio New Moon conjunct Hylonome. He wrote: “Hylonome has been connected by Centaur specialists to themes of grief and the process of working through grief. This is a theme endemic in the Centaurs, but especially pronounced with Hylonome. As the New Moon took shape conjunct Hylonome in Scorpio, we were witnessing one of the most vibrant public outpourings of grief since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, almost a decade earlier.” Eric particularly highlights the keywords of astrologer Juan Revilla, “the cry of the poor”.

In Pope Francis’s natal chart, his Midheaven, the cusp of the 10th house, is in the first degree of Taurus. The 10th house represents one’s most cherished goals and the “calling” in the life. At the time of his death, the transiting Sun was conjunct his Midheaven, and all the planets of the transiting t-square were affecting it. Right at the pope’s Midheaven there is the trans-Neptunian Praamzius, the minor planet of peace.

In his final Easter message Pope Francis wrote: “There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.”

We are living in odd times when one almost starts to hope that astrology would not work so perfectly well.

The Sun entered Aries on March 20, 2025, in conjunction with Neptune in the last degree of Pisces and Borasisi in early Aries. The focus stays strongly in Aries with this solar eclipse and with several planets there.

Two weeks a ago at the time of the lunar eclipse, Mercury was starionary at 9+ degrees of Aries and turned retrograde on the next day. Now the solar eclipse occurs at that same degree. Mercury is now retrograding at the Aries point tightly in between Borasisi and Neptune. The next day, on March 30, Mercury steps back into Pisces and meets Neptune. Neptune keeps moving forward and enters Aries later in the day, starting a new 165-year cycle around the zodiac.

Mercury represents thinking, speech, all forms of communication, negotiations, and making treaties. Mercury retrograde is famous for disruptions in technology and communication, and one should be very careful when entering into contracts.

“The Signalgate” is by far the most striking example of Mercury retrograde that I have ever come across. The United States national security leaders accidentally leaked the country’s war plans for Yemen to the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg. The national security advisor Mike Waltz erroneously added Goldberg to the group chat on the Signal messaging service. Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, used the chat to share detailed plans. In addition to Waltz and Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president J. D. Vance were also present. Nobody noticed Goldberg. Also, in the aftermath, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that they were able to find on the internet some private contact details and passwords for members of the group chat.

Cubewano Borasisi has affinities with Neptune, and now they are in conjunction at the Aries point. Borasisi completed its entry into Aries in January 2025. Neptune dissolves boundaries and can blur reality. It can be difficult to understand what actually is happening. Neptune is associated with dreams, illusions, deception, confusion, chaos, escapism, and leaks, among other things. Borasisi is related to the tendency to live believing pleasant lies, because it makes life feel better than seeing and accepting unpleasant truths.

The ceasefire negotiations to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine are taking place under this disturbing astrology. Europe is watching “the negotiations” with feelings of horror and disbelief. Putin is doing everything he can to delay the process. The parties do not seem to agree on what has been actually agreed. Trump is continuously changing the terms of the agreement. A few days ago, respected British scholar Keir Giles said that we should assume that Trump is working for Moscow unless proven otherwise.

In addition to what is said above, there is a kite pattern in the chart formed by Uranus in Taurus at the apex, Mars and Saturn at the corners, and Narcissus opposite Uranus, steering the kite. The peace planet Praamzius at 24+ Leo is in aspect to Saturn, Eris, Uranus and Narcissus.

The New Moon is in Aquarius, where Pluto has recently entered. Mercury is in conjunction with Pluto. Pluto is trine Sedna in the first degree of Gemini.

Pluto’s trine to Sedna reflects the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists being moved closer to midnight yesterday. The Bulletin was founded in 1945 by scientists including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The metaphorical clock was now set to 89 seconds to midnight to warn the public and the world leaders about how close humankind is to destroying the world. The factors shaping this year’s decision include nuclear risk, climate change and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence, for instance.

Mars in Cancer is in conjunction with the newly named quasi-moon of Earth, Cardea. Last summer the International Astronomical Union and Radiolab announced a public competition to name one of the quasi-moons of Earth. The winner was chosen from seven finalists and announced on Jan. 13, 2025. Cardea is the Roman goddess of the hinge.

A quasi-moon is an asteroid that actually orbits the Sun, but if you watch it from the Earth, it looks like it’s orbiting our planet just like the Moon does. Cardea is a small Apollo asteroid discovered in 2004 by the Lincoln Near Asteroid Research project (LINEAR). The orbital period is one year. It stays as a quasi-satellite of Earth until around 2600.

Roman doors were hung on pivot hinges. Cardea was one of the deities who preside over doorways. They were said to be “doorkeepers of the earth”, guarding the passage to the earthly sphere. On Radiolab’s contest page Cardea was introduced like this:

”A name imbued with elegance and depth, Cardea is the Roman goddess of doorways and transitions, symbolizing the guardianship of thresholds. This quasi-moon, forever straddling the space between Earth and the cosmos, reflects Cardea’s dominion over liminal states, embodying a celestial gatekeeper of the in-between.”

In its discovery chart Cardea was retrograding at 14+ degrees of Leo tightly opposite Neptune and also with wide orb opposite the Moon. Neptune symbolizes dreams, illusions, imagination and the unconscious. Perhaps Cardea really can turn the hinged door from our everyday reality to another place. The unique director David Lynch died on Jan. 15, 2025. In his birthchart he had 10th house Cardea in late Virgo trine to the Sun-Venus conjunction in Capricorn, semisextile Jupiter in Libra, and square to his lunar nodes in Gemini and Sagittarius.

Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective ”lynchian” like this: ”Characteristic, reminiscent, or imitative of the films or television work of David Lynch. Lynch is noted for juxtaposing surreal or sinister elements with mundane, everyday environments, and for using compelling visual images to emphasize a dreamlike quality of mystery or menace.”

Lynch himself has said of his attitude to dreams: ”Waking dreams are the ones that are important, the ones that come when I’m quietly sitting in a chair, letting my mind wander. When you sleep, you don’t control your dream. I like to dive into a dream world that I’ve made or discovered; a world I choose…”

Actor Kyle MacLachlan wrote: “What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to.”

Filmmaker Harmony Korine said: ”He embraced his own inner logic and filtered it through a subconscious magic. He created worlds and unmatched vibrations. He hit on things that were inexplicable and sacred and beyond articulation.”

This is the first New Moon after Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius on Nov. 19. The New Moon is opposite Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, and in conjunction with asteroid Urania. Mercury in Sagittarius turned retrograde on Nov. 26. Mercury is in conjunction with asteroid Discovery.

30 Urania is a large Main-belt asteroid named after one of the nine muses in Greek mythology. The muses were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory). Urania is the heavenly muse of astrology and astronomy, and also the patroness of those who are navigating seas by the stars. She is depicted holding a globe and a compass. She is sometimes associated with universal love.

In astrology asteroid Urania stands for the capacity of handling theoretical, hypothetical or abstract principles and informaton; the capacity for self-reflective awareness; and the ability to “see the big picture” (Martha Lang-Wescott, Mechanics of the Future: Asteroids, Treehouse Mountain). According to Demetra George, “In her search for celestial truths, Urania uses her mental astuteness to probe both the microcosm and the macrocosm.” Demetra George has presented Urania and Chiron as a pair, where Urania represents the principle of inspired knowledge and Chiron the principle of wholistic understanding. She calls them “The Knowledge Holders” (Demetra George & Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses, Ibis Press).

30 Urania was discovered by English astronomer John Russell Hind (1823 – 1895) in the early days of the asteroid discovery. Hind found 10 asteroids and was one of the most successful asteroid discoverers of his time. He discovered Urania in 1854 at London.

9770 Discovery was found in 1993 by probably the most famous Japanese astronomer, Takeshi Urata (1947 – 2012), who discovered numerous asteroids. Takeshi Urata’s birthday is unknown, but let’s take a look at John Russell Hind’s chart (born May 12, 1823, Nottingham, England). Asteroid names function often amazingly accurately in astrology.

John Russell Hind’s Taurus Sun is in close conjunction with the trans-Neptunian Arrokoth, which is named in honor of those who are inspired to look up to the sky and learn about the stars and worlds beyond our own. Asteroid Discovery is in exact conjunction with the magnifying Jupiter in Gemini. Both “Knowledge Holders” make harmonious sextiles to the aforementioned conjunctions: asteroid Urania in Cancer is in sextile to the Sun-Arrokoth conjunction, and Chiron in Aries is in sextile to the Jupiter-Discovery conjunction.

The passionate and intense New Moon in Scorpio coincides with the celebrations of All Saints’ Day, Halloween, Samhain and the Finnish Kekri. This is considered a time when the veil between our physical world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. Candles, lanterns and bonfires are lit to illuminate this dark time.

The traditional and modern rulers of Scorpio, Mars and Pluto are in exact opposition to each other. The New Moon is in conjunction with Zhulong, a scattered-disc object in a 2:5 resonance with Neptune.

Zhulong was discovered in 2014 by Pan-STARRS (The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System), an astronomical survey program which is systematically surveying the entire sky on a continuous basis. Other discoveries by Pan-STARRS are for example Oumuamua, the first interstellar object detected passing through our solar system; Kaʻepaokaʻawela, an asteroid in a 1:1 resonance with Jupiter, and possibly of interstellar origin too; and Kamoʻoalewa, one of the quasi-satellites of Earth.

The orbital period of Zhulong is around 420 years and its diameter is about 233 km. Zhulong is named from Chinese mythology after the Torch Dragon, a giant red dragon with a human face and scarlet serpent body. It controlled the day and night by opening and closing its eyes. It has been described as shining a torch over “the ninfold darkness”.

The New Moon at 10+ degrees of Libra was an annular solar eclipse. In the same degree with the Sun and the Moon were two main-belt asteroids, Astraea and Mnemosyne, and one of the largest trans-Neptunian objects, Makemake. Mercury was in a close conjunction with the eclipse.

Libra is the sign of relationships and balance. The eclipse appeared on the South node of the Moon. The South node is said to represent familiar things and the past. Sue Tompkins has suggested the keywords “association, joining, entanglement, connection, meeting, remembrance” for the South node (Sue Tompkins, The Contemporary Astrrologer’s Handbook, 2006).

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. The Moon’s orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical, and that’s why the Moon sometimes appears smaller than the Sun. A solar eclipse that occurs when the Moon is near its farthest distance from Earth is called an annular eclipse. The Moon doesn’t completely cover the Sun, and the Sun appears as a very bright ring, surrounding the dark disk of the Moon. On October 2, 2024, ”the ring of fire” was visible in parts of South America. The eclipse was seen as a partial solar eclipse in parts of South America, Antarctica, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was in the relatively narrow path of the annular eclipse, which is noteworthy considering that the eclipse was in exact conjunction with Makemake.

136472 Makemake is one of the three big discoveries that were announced at the end of July 2005, namely Eris, Haumea and Makemake. Makemake is the largest cubewano and the brightest trans-Neptunian object after Pluto. It is fairly round and the estimated dimensions are 1434 x 1420 km. The orbital period is about 306 years. Makemake will reach its aphelion in 2033. Makemake was long thought to be alone, but in 2015 a moon was discovered and nicknamed ”MK2”. There may be another large, undiscovered satellite orbiting Makemake.

A recent study from February 2024 challenges our understanding of distant icy worlds like Makemake. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) gave scientists a surprise. Evidence of internal geochemical activity on Eris and Makemake suggests that there may be water oceans beneath their surface.

The discovery team of Makemake nicknamed the object “Easterbunny” because of its discovery shortly after Easter. The official name Makemake was chosen in part to preserve the object’s connection with Easter. It is Polynesian in origin and is the name of the creator of humanity and the god of fertility in the mythology of the Rapa Nui, the native people of Easter Island. Makemake was the chief god of the Tangata manu bird-man cult and was worshiped in the form of sea birds, which were his incarnation. His material symbol was a man with a bird’s head.

The bird-man cult included an annual dangerous competition on Rapa Nui. The contestants had to swim to the nearby island to collect the first egg of the season of a certain tropical seabird, and then swim back to Rapa Nui. Many lost their lives. The winner was entitled to gifts of food, and his clan would have sole rights to collect the wild bird eggs and fledglings of that season. The winner had to go into seclusion for a year and spend his time eating and sleeping, and could not engage in any other activity. He did this for his community.

Easter Island is one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world. The island is famous for its monumental statues called moai. Rapa Nui history has been presented as a warning for humanity’s overexploitation of resources. There was an environmental collapse and a cultural collapse on the island. The trees were cut down, and when the wood ran out, the islanders couldn’t even make canoes and became completely isolated from the rest of the world. The few hundred people left were unable to remember their past, they lost their collective memory. According to the newest research, although the residents did cut down the trees, they were able to adapt to the changing environment. The island never had more than a few thousand people prior to European contact. Europeans brought disease and slave traders took a third of the island’s population. In the 1870s, there were only 110 people left on the island.

Asteroid 5 Astraea was discovered in 1945. The four first asteroids, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, were first classified as planets. However, after the discovery of Astraea, new asteroids started being discovered at a rapid pace, and it became apparent that there were thousands of members of this new type of celestial body. Astraea’s orbital period is little over four years and the mean diameter is 125 km. The fifth asteroid was named after Astraea, the Greek goddess of justice. She was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. As mankind became wicked, she was the last to stay on earth. Zeus then placed her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales of justice she carried became the constellation of Libra. According to myth, Astraea will one day come back to Earth, bringing with her the return of the utopian Golden Age.

Martha Lang-Wescott suggests that Astraea may have something to do with the difficulty of letting go of things, people or events. This can be a virtue or a hindrance. Astraea gives persistance, or it can make you cling to situations longer than is good for you. Astraea can make it difficult to know exactly when things are starting or ending. Also, one can become the observer, the witness who stands without judgment and ”insures that a cycle has truly reached completion (Martha Lang-Wescott, Mechanics of the Future, 1996).”

57 Mnemosyne is a large asteroid discovered in 1859. It’s orbital period is over 5 years and the diameter is about 113 km. It is named after the Greek goddess of memory and remembrance, and the inventress of language and words. The Theoi Project site mentions that she “represented the rote memorisation required to preserve the stories of history and the sagas of myth before the introduction of writing.” Asteroid Mnemosyne emphasizes planet Mercury’s function in the chart, as Mercury is associated with memory, and with written and spoken communication.

Memories can fade or become distorted. Perhaps one of the challenges of this eclipse is to find the right balance between the memories you hold dear and carry with you and the ones you’d better let go of. Rapa Nui has slowly revealed some of its secrets, as has the planet Makemake. Scientific research will continue, and so does the astrological research of Makemake.

Salvador Dali (May 11, 1904 – Jan. 23, 1989), the Spanish surrealist artist, had Makemake in Taurus in conjunction with his Sun, Mercury and Mars. His Makemake is occupying the midpoint of Astraea and Mnemosyne. One of Dali’s most famous works is The Persistence of Memory, which depicts a surrealistic image of soft, melting pocket watches. It has been interpreted that in the painting, everything created by man is perishable, the only permanent thing is the cliffs in the background, where the true permanence of memory resides. In his last years Dalí became withdrawn and he lived almost in isolation.

The New Moon on September 3, 2024, occurs in the Mercury ruled sign Virgo, the sign that strives for perfection. Mercury in Leo stationed direct on August 28 and gave a boost to matters ruled by Mercury. Pluto retrograded back to Capricorn on September 1 and is now in the last degree of Capricorn. The New Moon is in conjunction with plutino Orcus and asteroid Nemesis. An aspect pattern called the Hammer of Thor is formed by Pluto, Eris, and the conjunction of the Sun, the Moon, Nemesis and Orcus.

Orcus is the second-largest known plutino, after Pluto itself. Its diameter is comparable to that of Ceres, the largest main-belt asteroid. Orcus shares some remarkable similarities with Pluto. The orbital period of Orcus is 245 years, just slightly shorter than Pluto’s period. Their elongated orbits are nearly identical, except they are pointing in opposite directions. Because both are locked in 3:2 resonance with Neptune, they will always stay in opposite phases of their orbits. Both Pluto and Orcus form a binary system with their relatively large companion. Orcus’s satellite is named Vanth.

According to the naming rules of the International Astronomical Union, all plutinos are given mythological names associated with the underworld. Orcus was named after the punisher of false and broken oaths of Etruscan origin. He was inescapable. Vanth was a bit more gentler spirit, a female demon who guided the deceased to the underworld. According to astrologer Jeremy Neal, ”the mythology of Orcus, from ancient to Medieval times encompasses themes and tenets of integrity, revenge, judgement, isolation, desolation, implacability and imprisonment and these form the foundation of the astrological lexicon for this dark, distant and enigmatic entity.”

Nemesis is a large main-belt asteroid with a diameter of 180 km and an orbital period of 4.5 years. It was discovered in 1872 and named after the goddess of retribution in Greek mythology. She was the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, but simply to each according to what was deserved. She is the symbol of our conscience and guides us towards right action, describes Demetra George. We will face the consequences of our actions.

The quadruple conjunction of the Sun, the Moon, Orcus and Nemesis in Virgo forms the apex of an aspect pattern called the Hammer of Thor. The pattern is formed by two planets squaring one another, and both making sesquisquare aspects (135 degrees) to a third planet. At this New Moon, Pluto in the last degree of Capricorn is square to Eris in late Aries, and both are sesquisquare to the aforementioned Virgo planets. Thor’s Hammer has been described as a particularly difficult pattern. According to Jeremy Neal, ”it generally connotes a difficult energy (represented by the square) which has to find an outlet through the apex planet. This is why – like Thor’s Hammer – it is a weapon of great destructive potential.” It can also be used as a force for good. In Norse mythology, Mjölnir, the hammer of the thunder god Thor was used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. It was a magical weapon which would never fail, never miss, and would always find its way back to Thor’s hand. It is a protective symbol.

One important news topic of the week has been Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mongolia on September 3. Mongolia is a sparsely populated country between Russia and China. It is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes. Members of the ICC are bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued. It seemed clear in advance that Mongolia would not take measures to arrest Putin, because otherwise he would not have taken the risk of traveling. Mongolia is totally dependent on Russian energy. However, Mongolia will have to face consequences for not fulfilling its obligations. In Mongolia’s chart (a declaration of independence on March 3, 1921, 12:00 noon LMT, Kyakhta, Russia) the Pisces-Sun opposes Jupiter in mid-Virgo (the chart data from The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion). Jupiter rules the justice system. The conjunction of the New Moon, Orcus and Nemesis transits tightly Mongolia’s Sun-Jupiter opposition.

Then let’s look at Putin’s chart (Oct. 7, 1952, 09:30 MSK, St. Petersburg, Russia). He has a precise Thor’s Hammer formed by Chiron in Capricorn, Eris in Aries, and Pluto at his Midheaven in Leo. Pluto is the apex of the hammer and should find a way of releasing the pressure. Putin’s hammer pattern is under a lot of pressure right now. Mercury stationed direct on August 28 at 21+ degrees of Leo, right at his Midheaven and Pluto. Mercury rules formal contracts and agreements as well as travel and tranportation, among other things. The transiting Pholus at 7+ Capricorn and the transiting North node of the Moon at 7+ Aries are activating his pattern too. In addition the current New Moon in Virgo (together with Orcus and Nemesis) transits his tenth house of aspirations, career, and public status.

When we look at Putin’s solar arc directed chart progressed to September 3, we can see some prominent conjunctions. His solar arc directed Orcus at 12+ Virgo is in conjunction with the current New Moon. His solar arc directed Pluto at 4+ Scorpio is at his radix ascendant, and his solar arc directed Sun at 26+ Sagittarius is conjunct his radix Mars.

Putin has repeadetly violated international law and agreements. Eventually he will have to face the consequences for his actions too. He will meet his Nemesis, although it hasn’t happened yet on this trip.

The New Moon in Cancer occurs in the same degree with centaur Bienor. Asteroid Ceres in Capricorn is exactly opposite the Sun and the Moon.

Of the named centaur planets, Bienor is the third largest after Chiron and Chariklo. Its diameter is approximately 200 kilometers. Bienor orbits between Saturn and Uranus, grazing the orbit of Uranus. The orbital period is around 67 years, longer than that of Chiron or Chariklo. Bienor will reach perihelion in January 2028.

Bienor was discovered in August 2000. Bienor seems to have a highly elongated body. Chiron and Chariklo possess rings, and it is hypothesized that Bienor has either a ring or a satellite (or both), or it may be a binary system.

The name Bienor means “strong one”. In Greek mythology Bienor is one of the centaurs who fought against the Lapiths at the wedding of king Pirithous. Not much is said about individual centaurs in mythology, but the manner of their death, among other things, can be used to outline the astrological meaning of the centaur planets. The death of a centaur is metaphorical and symbolizes transformation and healing. Most of the centaurs were killed by arrows or spears, but Bienor’s death was different. The hero Theseus jumped on his back, which was “never trained to carry riders”, smashed his face and pounded his temples. Perhaps this brutal depiction offers clues.

Among the people who have a prominent Bienor are the first President of the United States, George Washington (the Sun conjunct Bienor in Pisces), President Barack Obama (the Sun conjunct Bienor at the descendant in Leo), the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (the Sun-Venus conjunction in Aquarius sextile Bienor in Sagittarius), the late Prime Minister of Sweden, Olof Palme (the Sun and Mercury conjunct Bienor in Aquarius), the artist and singer Yoko Ono (the Sun conjunct Bienor in Aquarius), and the English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey (the triple conjunction of the Sun, Jupiter and Bienor in Libra).

PJ Harvey has revealed in interviews, that her goal is not to repeat, but challenge herself and to do things that are new and frightening.

The new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, took office on this New Moon day. The Labour Party won Britain’s general election, and the victory ended 14 years of Conservative government. The Brits wanted change, and Prime Minister Starmer has promised a national renewal.

So far astronomers have only a limited understanding of the physical properties of Bienor. They have gathered data for instance through the technique of stellar occultations. Further data collection is necessary for them to fully understand the body. This is also true in astrology; Astrologers should put Bienor in the charts and further study this notable centaur to understand it better.

The New Moon at 16+ Gemini is in exact conjunction with Venus and square to Saturn in Pisces. The New Moon is not tightly in conjunction with any of the named distant minor planets. One of the large Kuiper belt objects that are not yet named, (532037) 2013 FY27, is at 17+ degrees of Virgo square to the New Moon and sesquisquare to Pluto in Aquarius. It forms a t-square with Saturn in Pisces, and the triple conjunction of Venus and the lumiaries in Gemini. At the Summer Solstice in two weeks, 2013 FY27 will be square to the Moon in Sagittarius.

2013 FY27 is one of the three largest unnamed objects in the solar system. It is the ninth intrinsically brightest known trans-Neptunian object. It is bigger than Ixion and almost as big as Varda. 2013 FY27 is a scattered disc object like Eris. It is a binary system with two components approximately 740 km and 190 km in diameter.

2013 FY27 was discovered by Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo in March 2013. The orbital period is 448 years. It is currently near its aphelion (the farthest point of its orbit around the Sun), about 80 AU from the Sun. Over time, it will come much closer to Neptune’s neighborhood.

According to the naming rules of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), when the orbit of a minor planet becomes well enough determined so that its position can be reliably predicted into the future, the minor planet receives a permanent designation, a permanent number. The discoverer has the privilege to suggest a name for the body for a period of ten years following the numbering. The permanent number 532037 was assigned for 2013 FY27 five years ago, in May 2019. I hope that the discoverers will make a name proposal soon, unless they already have done so, and this body will get a proper name.

IAU and the science podcast Radiolab have announced a competition to name another unnamed body, one of the quasi-moons of Earth. A quasi-moon is an asteroid that actually orbits the Sun, but if you watch it from the Earth, it looks like it’s orbiting our planet just like the Moon does.

The object in question is (164207) 2004 GU9, an Apollo asteroid discovered on April 13, 2004, near Socorro, New Mexico, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project (LINEAR). In the discovery chart it was retrograding at 14+ degrees of Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius and sextile Mars in Gemini.

People worldwide can suggest a name for the quasi-moon between June 1 – September 30. “We’re excited to bring people together around something that unites us across timezones, national borders, languages, and all manner of differences – our shared sky,” said Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab.

If you are interested in participating, read more here:

https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2406/

We have a New Moon like no other. Sedna has entered Gemini!

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon degree is Taurus 19 ”A newly formed continent”. Besides the Sun and the Moon, also Venus, Jupiter and Uranus are in Taurus. Sedna entered Gemini on April 27, 2014. Sedna shares the first degree of Gemini with centaur Oterma.

Sedna is one of the most remarkable new celestial bodies found in our solar system in the 21st century. It came into our consciousness twenty years ago, in March 2004, when Dr. Mike Brown presented the discovery of a mysterious new object which he hoped to be called Sedna after the Inuit goddess of the Arctic Ocean. At the time Sedna was the most distant and largest object found in the solar system after the discovery of Pluto, and its orbit around the Sun was in its own class. The current New Moon occurs right next to the discovery degree of Sedna (17+ Taurus).

Sedna’s orbit is an extremely long ellipse, and one Sedna’s revolution takes no less than 11,400 years. At the moment Sedna is approaching the Sun and therefore it moves fast. It entered Gemini for the first time in June 2023, returned into Taurus last November, and now re-entered Gemini to spend the next 43 years there. Sedna comes to perihelion in 2076 in Cancer.

The exceptionally long orbit of Sedna refers to experiences that reach beyond several generations and are collective. It is an indicator of environmental problems and climate change. Water and arctic cold are Sedna’s elements. At the moment we have a cold spell in spring in Finland. The wind blows from the north and the cold air mass above the Arctic Ocean has also spread over Finland. The whole of May is predicted to be cooler than usual.

The first centaur to be discovered was Hidalgo in 1920. However, centaurs were not recognized as a distinct population until the discovery of Chiron in 1977. In 1989 Chiron was found to exhibit behavior typical of a comet. Centaurs typically exhibit the characteristics of both asteroids and comets. Centaur 39P/Oterma was discovered in 1943 by the Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma. At the time it was an active comet, but a close approach to Jupiter in 1963 put it on its current inactive centaur orbit between Jupiter and Saturn. Its orbital period is nearly 20 years. It came to perihelion in July 2023.

The Sabian symbol for the discovery degree of centaur Oterma is 5 Libra ” A man teaching the true inner knowledge”.

Centaur Oterma entered Gemini on May 5, 2024, and is now in the first degree of Gemini together with Sedna. For twenty years has Sedna kept on giving us warnings what comes to the environmental state of Earth. We haven’t taken her warnings seriously. Gemini is the sign of teachers and learning. This could mark the time when mankind is finally understanding the seriousness of the situation and capable of changing the direction of development for the better.