Basics
Class: S-type asteroid
Location: Main belt
Orbit length (approx): 4.33 years
Discovered: 5th May 1853 (time unknown), from Düsseldorf, Germany, by Robert Luther
Notes: This object has a cross-section size of around 90 km.
Events at time of discovery:
- May – The world’s first public aquarium opens at London Zoo.
- May 4 – Birth of Marie Robinson Wright, American travel writer
- May 12-October 31 – The Great Industrial Exhibition is held in Dublin, Ireland.
- May 23 – The first plat for Seattle, WA, is laid out.
Naming information
Name origin: Roman goddess and queen of the underworld.
Mythology: Equivalent of the Greek Persephone, with virtually identical mythology. She was combined with, or replaced, the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera: the female expression of Liber Pater, protector of plebeian rights, god of wine, male fertility and liberty. Ceres, Liber and Libera were part of a triad of patrons of Rome’s commoner citizens.
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| I don’t think I’ve ever met a Pre-Raphaelite painting I didn’t like. Detail of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s eighth and final version of Proserpine (1882), now in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. |
Astrological data
Discovery degree: 29+ Libra
Discovery Sabian: Three Mounds of Knowledge on a Philosopher’s Head
Discovery nodal signature: Taurus–Scorpio
Estimated orbital resonances: Mercury 1:18, Venus 1:7, Earth 3:13, Ceres 15:14, Jupiter 11:4
Discovery chart details: Noon chart with massive presence in Aries and Taurus. Mercury sextile and Saturn semi-sextile North Node. Venus-Chiron-Neptune minor grand trine. Vesta-Juno square Neptune; Jupiter sesquiquadrate Uranus; Venus semi-square Sedna; Mercury semi-square Eris.
Summary and references
Suggested meanings include connection to the inner self and personal values; receptivity and devotion; assertion or lack thereof[1]; feeling alone or not belonging[2]. Dane Rudhyar reportedly said of Proserpina: “In that name lies hidden the symbol of all resurrections.”
References:
1) Amable: (26) Proserpina
2) Martha Lang-Wescott: Basic Resources
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| Noon discovery chart for (26) Proserpina: 5th May 1853, Düsseldorf, Germany. |