The first discovered
asteroid (1801, by Giuseppe Piazzi, searching for planets which were assumed to exist between
Mars and
Jupiter based on
Bode's Law) and the largest found to date.
Ceres is large enough to affect the orbits of
Mars and
Earth.
Ceres is just slightly smaller than
Pluto.
Ceres is a spherical
C-type asteroid with a diameter of 578 miles (930 km) and a stable
orbit.
Ceres takes just over four and a half years to
orbit the
Sun, and completes one full
rotation on its own
axis in just over nine hours.
The general overall interpretation of the position of the
asteroid Ceres in the
horoscope is that it will help to describe how a person takes care of themselves and others. Because of the Goddess
Ceres'
mythological ties to the role of the single
mother and to seasonal changes, the
astrological interpretations of
Ceres can also involve the
menstrual cycle, single-
motherhood, and
pregnancy. Expansions on this theme include the relationship to
food and eating (
Ceres is the goddess of
agriculture),
exercise, and pampering as they relate to personal
stress reduction, well-being, and
self-esteem.
For example, in my natal
horoscope,
Ceres is placed within
Virgo (keywords:
health-conscious,
precise,
critical,
introverted). This indicates that there may be more of an outward focus on the well-being of others than on the self. Inwardly, the
Virgoan tendency toward
health, perfection and introversion could could indicate the use of food in an
obsessive manner to
nurture the self.
Aspects to other planets will help fine-tune these interpretations. For example, in my natal
horoscope,
Ceres is square to
Neptune, which can indicate the use of
drugs or self-deception to reduce
stress. The combination of
Ceres in
Virgo with this square aspect to
Neptune could indicate a detailed and perfectionistic (but disillusioned) focus on
health and body to
nurture the soul.
Food and the relationship to it could be disturbed and
health affected (notably, the
menstrual cycle, which is commonly affected by
eating disorders).
references: astronomical data is from NASA
Addendum, August 26, 2001
Ceres is no longer the largest asteroid found to date. a large body, designated 2001 KX76, was found within the
Kuiper Belt by astronomers from the
Lowell Observatory, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the
Large Binocular Telescope Observatory. This body is potentially larger than
Plutos' moon,
Charon. Discovered on
July 2, 2001, 2001 KX75 is 6.5 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) from Earth. The actual size of the object is still in debate, however the figures in debate are 1,200 kilometers or 1,400 kilometers, each bigger than
Ceres.
"This object is intrinsically the brightest Kuiper Belt Object found so far," says Lowell Observatory Director Robert Millis, leader of the survey team. "The exact diameter of 2001 KX76 depends on assumptions that astronomers make about how its brightness relates to its size. Traditional assumptions make it the biggest by a significant amount, while others make it larger by at least 5 percent."
Ceres is now the second largest
asteroid known to date. It is, however, still the first asteroid discovered.