Basics
Class: GC/Xe-type asteroid
Location: Main belt
Orbit length (approx): 4.41 years
Discovered: 15th August 1876 (time unknown), at Litchfield Observatory, Clinton, NY, by Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Notes: Dark background asteroid of approx 55km diameter.
Events at time of discovery:
- August 13 – The Bayreuth Festival, showcasing the stage works of Richard Wagner, is inaugurated under his direction and that of his wife Cosima.
- August 14 – Prairie View A&M University, at the time named Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth, is founded, the first state-supported HBCU in the state of Texas.
- August 25 – Birth of Eglantyne Jebb, English champion of children’s human rights
Naming information
Name origin: Greek Oreiad nymph.
Mythology: Rhodope was a queen of Thrace and the wife of Haemus. The pair grew hubristic, comparing themselves to Zeus and Hera, and were both turned into mountains as punishment. The Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria and Greece are named after her.
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| View from Belintash, a plateau in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria. Photo by Yonka Yankova. |
Astrological data
Discovery degree: 19+ Aquarius
Discovery Sabian: A Large White Dove Bearing a Message
Discovery nodal signature: Leo–Aquarius
Estimated orbital resonances: Ceres 19:18, Jupiter 8:3, Saturn 20:3, Uranus 19:1
Discovery chart details: Noon chart with stellium in Leo. Uranus quincunx, Neptune semi-square and Pholus semi-sextile North Node. Venus square Juno and quincunx Nessus. Mars square Jupiter; Jupiter sesquiquadrate Asbolus; Saturn sextile Neptune; Uranus opposite Pholus. Vesta conjunct Pallas.
Summary and references
Holmes offers the symbolism of the mountain as a challenge in the pursuit of a goal[1]. I’d suggest also self-regard, and a sense of superiority born of privilege, which may be corrected by experience; the discovery or recognition of one’s limitations.
References:
1) Mark Andrew Holmes: Rhodope
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| Noon discovery chart for (166) Rhodope: 15th August 1876, Clinton, NY. The asteroid is not depicted. |