The New Moon at 16+ degrees of Scorpio is in conjunction with several distant minor planets clustered at 15-17 degrees of Scorpio. Two of them are trans-Neptunian objects named from Chinese mythology (Taowu and Zhulong) and two are centaurs from Greek mythology (Elatus and Petraios).

Astrologer Sue Tompkins has said about planets in Scorpio: ”Any planet here will tend to react intensely, passionately and secretively. Whatever the message of the planet, all may not be revealed to the casual onlooker.” All these four planets are named after hybrid creatures, half-human, half-animal. The diversity of the current energies opens up many possibilities.

Taowu was discovered in 2011 in an extreme retrograde orbit at an angle of 110 degrees to the ecliptic. When an object’s inclination is this high, it orbits the Sun in the opposite direction of the Earth and most other planets in our solar system. The object was first nicknamed Niku, meaning “rebellious” in Mandarin Chinese. Its orbital period is about 213 years. Taowu was officially named in 2025 after one of the Four Perils of Chinese mythology. Taowu is a ferocious and stubborn beast depicted as having a human head, tiger legs, boar tusks, and a long tail.

Zhulong, discovered in 2014, is a Scattered disc object with the orbital period of about 420 years. Zhulong (“Torch Dragon”) is a mythological creature with a human face and scarlet serpent body. It controlled the day and night of the world by opening and closing its eyes. It is described in classic Chinese literature as shining a torch over “the ninefold darkness.”

Centaur Elatus was discovered in 1999. It is a Saturn-crosser but orbits the Sun mainly between Saturn and Uranus. The orbital period is 40 years. In Greek mythology, centaur Elatus is mentioned in connection with the riot at Pholus’s cave, when Heracles persuaded Pholus to open a sacred jar of wine that belonged to all the centaurs. Heracles’s poisoned arrow passed through Elatus’s arm and continued to wound Chiron in the knee. The name Elatus means “fir man” and is associated with woodlands.

Centaur Petraios was discovered in 2016. It orbits entirely between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, and the orbital period is around 90 years. We know the centaur Petraios from another fight, namely, the Centauromachy. The battle at the wedding of Pirithous has been described as a symbolic clash between primal chaos and social order. According to the official naming citation, ”Petraios fell while grappling with the rooted Earth. Like this minor planet, he marks the edge between structure and upheaval.” His name means “rocky”, evoking strength and stability.

It is clear from the citation that centaur Petraios was named after the centaur that fought in the Centauromachy. However, in Greek mythology the name Petraios or Petraeus may also refer to another centaur, one of the Lamian Pheres. They were twelve rustic spirits set by Zeus to guard the infant Dionysus and to protect him from the anger of Hera. The enraged goddess transformed them into ox-horned centaurs. This Petraeus has been described as the “laughing tippling” leader of the satyrs, who later joined the army of Dionysus.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2026 at 1:05 am and is filed under New Moon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.