Archive for May, 2017

New Moon in Gemini — May 25, 2017, 19:46 UT

Thursday, May 25th, 2017

The New Moon at 4+ degrees of Gemini is squaring one of the most interesting dwarf planets, the one still without a name, 2007 OR10.

2007 OR10 was discovered almost 10 years ago. Recent studies show that it is big. It is bigger than Haumea, and probably also bigger than Makemake. In size comparison it comes right after Pluto and Eris. Currently it is also the third-farthest known large body in the Solar System, after V774104 (103 AU) and Eris (96.3 AU), located around 87.5 AU from the Sun.

Why has 2007 OR10 not been named yet?

It was discovered in 2007 by Megan Schwamb, Mike Brown and David Rabinowitz. Mike Brown has explained in his blog: “It was just a normal Kuiper belt object found slightly far away. Bigger than most, but otherwise, as far as we knew, unremarkable.” They didn’t even write a press release, because at the time, Mike Brown could not think of anything interesting to write about it.

2007 OR10 turned out to be much more interesting than what originally was thought. The object had originally been nicknamed as “Snow White” for its presumed white color. However, 2007 OR10 was revealed to be one of the reddest objects in the Kuiper belt. It got brighter! It had actually been bright all along, but the discoverers had not realized it, because the observation conditions had been relatively poor. It has a satellite, which was detected in 2016.

According to the International Astronomical Union’s rules, the discoverer of a minor planet has the privilege to suggest a name for the planet in question for a period of ten years following the numbering of the object. This permanent number is given when the orbit of the minor planet is well enough determined so that the position can be reliably predicted into the future. 2007 OR10 received the permanent number in 2009, so Mike Brown has still two years left for his name suggestion.

There has been a petition in the internet for naming 2007 OR10 as R’hllor, also known as the Red God or the Lord of Light, from the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on novels written by George R. R. Martin.

George R. R. Martin has been called “the American Tolkien”. In his birth chart (Rodden Rating AA) 2007 OR10 is right at his 10th house cusp in Aquarius. The 10th house represents one’s career, greatest aspirations, and reputation. Astrologer Howard Sasportas writes in The Twelve Houses: “It is through the signs and planets here that we hope to attain achievement, honour and recognition. Placements in the 10th denote what we would most like to be remembered as having contributed to the world.”

In honor of the 10th birthday of 2007 OR10, I am expecting it to have a proper name by the end of this year. R’hllor could be a notable suggestion.

Full Moon in Scorpio — May 10, 2017, 21:42 UT

Wednesday, May 10th, 2017

The Full Moon at 20+ degrees of Scorpio is conjunct a trans-Neptunian object Ceto on a centaur-like elliptical orbit with orbital period of 1042 years. The Sun in Taurus is in conjunction with a centaur that grazes the orbit of Uranus, Bienor. The name Bienor means “a strong one”. The orbital period of Bienor is about 67 years. What was happening in the world 67 years ago, at the time when Bienor previously was at this same position as it is now?

On May 11, 1950, the Sun made its yearly conjunction to Bienor at 20+ degrees of Taurus. On that day the Kefauver Committee hearings began in the USA. The committee investigated organized crime across the state borders. Hearings were held in 14 major cities and more than 600 witnesses testified. Many of the committee’s hearings were showed live on national television to large audiences. Many Americans had their first glimpse of organized crime’s influence in the U.S. The Kefauver Committee’s work led to expanding civil law to combat organized crime.

On May 12, 1950, the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne (Dr. Paul Weston in the HBO drama In Treatment) was born in Dublin.

On May 13, 1950, the first race in the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship was held at Silverstone, England.

On May 13, 1950, the American musician Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw. His career began when he was 11 years old, and is still going strong. His Aries Moon is in conjunction with Ceto. In 1980 Stevie Wonder campaigned to make Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday in the U.S. When Martin Luther King in 1963 delivered his I Have A Dream speech in Washington, the Sun was in conjunction with Venus; Bienor; Haumea; and Uranus in Virgo.

On May 14, 1950, The Huntsville Times ran the headline “Dr. von Braun Says Rocket Flights Possible to Moon”. That might have marked the beginning of those efforts. Wernher von Braun was a German, later American, aerospace engineer, who developed the rockets that launched the U.S.’ first space satellite Explorer I, and the Saturn V rocket, that enabled manned lunar landings. Apollo 11 was the flight that took the first humans on the Moon. When the lunar module Eagle landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, in the astrological chart the Moon was in a tight conjunction with Bienor. More than 700 million people saw the event in television.

Von Braun continued insisting on the human mission to Mars throughout his life. After another 67 years and a new Bienor cycle, has a man landed on Mars?

In 2008 I was covering Bienor with astrologer Eric Francis at the time when Bienor was at the Aries Point. Eric then phrased Bienor like this: “Bienor may be associated with the strength of mankind expressed through technology…” In the light of my recent research I think he may have hit the nail on the head. Please read the whole article here:

Annular Solar Eclipse of Feb. 7, 2008

You can read about Bienor also at these blog entries:

New Moon in Aries — March 26, 2009, 16:06 UT

New Moon in Gemini — June 8, 2013, 15:56 UT