Focus On: (1388) Aphrodite

Basics

Class: K-type asteroid
Location: Outer main belt, Eos family
Orbit length (approx): 5.25 years
Discovered: 24th September 1935, 00:11 UTC, from Uccle Observatory, Belgium, by Eugène Delporte
Notes: Likely elongated, approximately 22km in diameter.
Events at time of discovery:

• September 24 – The five-power committee drafted a report admitting its efforts at mediation in the Abyssinia Crisis had failed and turned the matter back over to the League of Nations.
• – Earl W. Bascom and his brother Weldon produce the first night rodeo held outdoors under electric lights, at Columbia, Mississippi.
• September 29 – The London and North Eastern Railway's first A4 Class streamlined steam locomotive A4 2509 Silver Link makes her inaugural journey.
• – Birth of Mylène Demongeot, French actress
• – Birth of Jerry Lee Lewis, American rock & roll musician
• – Birth of Johnny Mathis, African-American singer

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Naming information

Name origin: Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.
Mythology: Parentage myths include Zeus and Dione, or Ouranos (birth from the sea foam following his castration; sea foam is 'aphros'). Per Theoi, "All the surnames and epithets given to Aphrodite are derived from places of her worship, from events connected with the legends about her, or have reference to her character and her influence upon man, or are descriptive of her extraordinary beauty and charms." As one of the principal Olympian gods, there are multiple myths about her.

There are so many artworks depicting Aphrodite that I had difficulty choosing! In the end I went for this: a fifth-century BCE statue from Cyprus showing her in a cylinder crown and bearing a dove. Held at the Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany. Photo by Ophelia2.

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Astrological data

Discovery degree: 29+ Aries
Discovery Sabian: A Duck Pond and Its Brood
Discovery nodal signature: Gemini-Scorpio
Estimated orbital resonances: Venus 2:17, Ceres 7:8, Jupiter 9:4, Saturn 17:3, Uranus 16:1
Discovery chart details: Balsamic phase. Aphrodite sesquiquadrate Neptune, quincunx Ceres and semi-sextile Asbolus. T-square between Mercury, Pluto and Nessus (Pallas in minor T-square with former two). Mars closely square Saturn with both semi-square the North Node.

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Summary and references

Interpretations given so far include: flirtations, short or illicit affairs, fleeting passion, vanity, caprice or vacillation, indecisiveness^[1]; respectful and personalised treatment/service^[2]; impulsive love or attraction, love inspired by fated events or from initial conflict, charisma^[3]. In the correspondences there are decided components of both Mars and Mercury, adding weight to several of these perspectives; as well as the conclusion of a phase, clearing the way for a fresh start. Perhaps the asteroid represents the earlier expressions or stages of love, which need to be worked through in order to embrace the steadier and more mature planetary energy. If so, it seems important to note that these feelings, however temporary, can carry surprising power in themselves, and be every bit as formative and significant as other forms of attraction and companionship.

References:
1) Alex Miller: Aphrodite 1388
2) Amable: (1388) Aphrodite
3) TAKE Astrology: Asteroids in Astrology

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Discovery chart for (1388) Aphrodite: 24th September 1935, 00:11 UTC, Uccle Observatory, Belgium.