Focus On: (5) Astraea

Basics

Class: S-type asteroid
Location: Main belt
Orbit length (approx): 4.14 years
Discovered: 8th December 1845 (time unknown) from Driesen, Poland, by Karl Ludwig Hencke
Events at time of discovery:

• 1845 – Friedrich Engels' treatise The Condition of the Working Class in England is published in Leipzig.
• – Eugénie Luce founds the Luce Ben Aben School in Algiers.
• August 28 – The journal Scientific American begins publication.
• September 9 – Potato blight breaks out in Ireland, beginning the Great Famine.
• December 2 – Manifest destiny: U.S. President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the Monroe Doctrine should be strictly enforced, and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
• December 9 – Birth of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus series

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Naming information

Name origin: Astraea ("star-maiden" or "starry night"), in ancient Greek religion, is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision.
Mythology: Astraea became the constellation Virgo, and her scales Libra; she was also the last of the gods to reside among humans, and may return some day, bringing with her a second Golden Age. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess of justice, Dike (daughter of Zeus and Themis).

An 1886 bas-relief figure of Astraea in the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the Vermont State House, possibly the work of August St. Gaudens. Photo by GearedBull.

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Astrological data

Discovery degree: 5+ Gemini (88% approx probability)
Discovery Sabian: Workmen Drilling for Oil
Discovery nodal signature: Virgo-Aquarius
Estimated orbital resonances: Venus 3:20, Ceres 10:9, Jupiter 20:7
Discovery chart details: Astraea was in stellium with Vesta and Nessus. There was also a large stellium in Aquarius involving Saturn. Sun was closely semi-sextile to the North Node.

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Summary and references

Astrologically, this body might represent balance, justice, innocence, idealism, vision and what is seen^[1], fair trade^[2], persistence, renaissance^[3], difficulty letting go and blocked closure^[4].

References:
1) TAKE: Asteroids in Astrology
2) Amable: (5) Astraea
3) Kirsti Melto: New Moon in Cancer – July 19, 2012
4) Martha Lang-Wescott: Basic Resources

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Noon discovery chart for (5) Astraea: 8th December 1845 at Driesen, Poland.