A 10^th Planet Discovered?

The astrological community is all a buzz and a bit upended!  On July 29, NASA announced that “a planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system.”  The possibility of a 10^th planet has been rumored for years by astrologers and now astronomers have found it!

How and when was it discovered?  Given the temporary name of 2003 UB313, the new planet was actually photographed in October 2004 by the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, CA.  But since it is 9 million miles from the Sun (3 times Pluto’s and 97 times the Earth’s distance from the Sun), its movement was not apparent at first.  Three astronomers (Brown, Truijillo & Rabinowitz), going over the film on January 8, 2005, made the discovery.  According to the AP story, the briefing announcement “was hastily arranged after a secure website containing the discovery was hacked and the hacker threatened to release the information.” (Hum? I wonder what significance that might hold for the planet’s meaning?)

Planet 2003 UB313, a rocky, icy body currently in the Cetus constellation at about 21 Aries, is located in a high angle off the ecliptic.  Most of the planets circulate within a narrow band of 23 degrees latitude above or below the ecliptic, but this one, like Pluto, has an eccentric orbit, which is estimated to take about 557 years.

It will take astronomers at least six months to determine its exact size, but it definitely appears to be bigger than Pluto.

Some of you may be wondering about recently discovered bodies that have been named Varuna, Quaoar and Sedna.  None of these exceed Pluto’s size and are, therefore, not accepted as planets.

What does this discovery mean to astrologers and astrology?  Well, it will take some time for a consensus to be reached as to its meaning and significance.  Pluto, discovered in 1930, was rarely used by most astrologers until the 1950s or even 1960s.

The three outer planets were all discovered at significant times in human history.  Each heralded an evolutionary shift in consciousness and was representative of the same.  Planet 2003 UB313 is surely a sign of new awareness dawning on the Earth.

As for the name, convention allows the discoverer(s) to submit a name to the International Astronomical Union for approval.  We will have to await their decision.  Rumor has it will carry a feminine name – Xena the TV-based female warrior or Lila of Hindu fame have been mentioned.

For now, I am heartened that the synchronicity of this discovery indicates new possibilities for human awareness.