Basics
Class: C-type asteroid
Location: Outer main belt
Orbit length (approx): 5.21 years
Discovered: 7th March 1894, 21:23 UTC, from Nice, France, by Auguste Charlois
Notes: Very large background asteroid, approximately 125 km in diameter.
Events at time of discovery:
- March 5 – The Local Government Act reforms local government in Britain and gives women, irrespective of marital status, the right to vote and stand in local (but not national) elections.
- March 12 – Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.
- March 14 – Birth of Osa Johnson, American adventurer, documentary filmmaker
Naming information
Name origin: Greek sea-monster, daughter of Pontos and Gaia.
Mythology: Kharybdis presided over a whirlpool guarding the Strait of Messina and was likely the cause of the tides with her thrice-daily intake and expulsion of large amounts of water. She and Skylla are mentioned in the Odyssey as obstacles that have to be avoided by the sailors. The Greek phrase “to swallow like Kharybdis” refers to gluttonous habits.
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| Whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, Scotland; the third largest in the world. Photo by Walter Baxter. |
Astrological data
Discovery degree: 7+ Virgo
Discovery Sabian: A Five-Year-Old Child Takes a First Dancing Lesson
Discovery nodal signature: Pisces–Virgo
Estimated orbital resonances: Venus 2:17, Mars 7:17, Ceres 8:9, Jupiter 16:7, Saturn 17:3, Uranus 16:1
Discovery chart details: New Moon phase not long after the lunation. Moon conjunct Eris; Sun opposite Ceres and Chiron. Mercury and Venus retrograde. Mars trine Vesta. North Node semi-square Jupiter and sextile Neptune.
Summary and references
Meanings offered so far include “an inescapable whirlpool”[1] and “the need to keep trying and trying”[2]. Could also signify wise actions that help one avoid falling into error, or learning from one’s errors; repetition or backward steps that may precede progress; or unorthodox, inspired solutions.
References:
1) Alex Miller: Galactic Profile: Charlie Sheen
2) Boots Hart: KBO Chaos: Our Inexhaustible Resource
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| Discovery chart for (388) Charybdis: 7th March 1894, 21:23 UTC, Nice, France. |