Basics
Class: Centaur
Location: Orbits between Saturn and Uranus
Orbit length (approx): 35.22 years
Discovered: 3rd March 2000, 09:52 UTC, from Kitt Peak Observatory, AZ, by Spacewatch
Notes: This centaur planet has (just like Chiron) a cometary coma, which was detected on 30 December 2005 when a large chunk of Echeclus was observed to break off.
Events at time of discovery:
- February 29 – A rare century leap year date occurs. The next such leap year will occur in 2400.
- March 3 – Death of Ranjana Deshmukh, 45, Indian actress
- – Death of Nicole Van Goethem, 58, Belgian animator and illustrator
- – Birth of Jevon Holland, Canadian-American football player
- March 4 – Sony releases the PlayStation 2 in Japan to compete with the Dreamcast. It launches in other countries later in the year.
- March 10 – The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5,048.[22] Two weeks later, the NASDAQ-100, S&P 500, and Wilshire 5000 reach their peaks prior to the Dot-com bubble, ending a bull market run that had lasted over 17 years.
Naming information
Name origin: Centaur in Greek myth.
Mythology: Along with fellow centaurs, Ekheklos attended the Lapith king Pirithous’ wedding and was killed by Ampyx, who had thrust his lance that lacked its point into Ekheklos’ face. Name may mean ‘sticky’ or ‘glutinous’.
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| Orbit viewer showing Echeclus’ position at the time of discovery, from the JPL Small-Body Database. |
Astrological data
Discovery degree: 16+ Virgo
Discovery Sabian: A Volcanic Eruption
Discovery nodal signature: Virgo–Pisces
Estimated orbital resonances: Saturn 5:6, Chiron 10:7, Uranus 12:5, Neptune 14:3, Pluto 7:1, Eris 16:1
Discovery chart details: Balsamic phase chart with Mars and Eris on the IC and Vesta-Nessus rising. Echeclus was quincunx Venus and square Chiron. Stellium in Aquarius; Finger of the World between Sun, Pallas and Pluto. Mercury was retrograde. Moon semi-sextile Mercury; Sun sextile Saturn. Venus conjunct Uranus and sextile Chiron; Mars semi-sextile Sedna; Jupiter square the Nodes. Saturn quincunx Pluto; Uranus sextile Eris. Vesta semi-sextile, Ceres trine and Pholus square Neptune. Ceres square and Pholus sextile Vesta-Nessus; Juno semi-square Chiron.
Summary and references
Interpretations so far include: repetition, connections or switching between past, present and future that facilitate adaptation[1]; turning points or endings, conflict, feeling hampered or frustrated, overambition[2]; masks and clouded identity, dark impulses[3]; mental balance between the abstract and the logical, polarisation, swift decisions, changes of opinion from new data, or stubbornness and rationalisation, close calls, time pressure, time warps[4]; constant uncertainty, power and ambition issues, sticky or glutinous materials, crumbling foundations, decisions around integrity, pattern recognition, order after chaos[5].
References:
1) Amable: (60558) Echeclus
2) Mark Andrew Holmes: Echeclus
3) Kirsti Melto: Summer Solstice – June 21, 2021
4) Philip Sedgwick: New Dwarf Planets, Eris, Sedna, Centaurs & More
5) Benjamin Adamah: Centaurs, Damocloids & Scattered Disc Objects (VAMzzz Publishing, 2019)
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| Discovery chart for (60558) Echeclus: 3rd March 2000, 09:52 UTC, Tucson, AZ. |