Trans Neptunian Objects

Note: I published this on my website back in 2021, removed it, and then lost the original publication date.

Trans-Neptunian Objects are minor / dwarf planets that orbit the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune. Most of these objects occupy the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper belt consists of hundreds of thousands of objects that include comets, minor / dwarf planets, and the moons of said minor and dwarf planets, and a bunch of other rocks and chunks of ice.

Pluto was the first dwarf planet to be discovered in 1932. Many more have been discovered since then including 15760 Albion, Eris (the largest), Haumea, Makemake, Gonggong, and Sedna.

The discovery of Pluto was linked to astronomy's obsession with trying to locate the ninth planet (also known as Planet X). The search began when astronomers noted the strange orbits of both Uranus and Neptune. Using calculations made in the 1900s it was assumed that another planetary body must be influencing them. Thus began the hunt for an additional planet providing said influence.

Clyde W. Tombaugh, self taught astronomer, was part of this search and in 1932 he discovered Pluto. He did this by scanning photographic plates using a blink comparator. A blink comparator is a type of microscope that allows an astronomer to quickly switch their view between two photographic plates (taken at different times), looking for any changes in position of any objects on the plates. Using this method, Tombaugh took 10 months and the discovery was an accident. Pluto just happened to have a higher magnitude and a lower inclination on the ecliptic when the photographs were taken. It wasn’t even in the place Tombaugh originally thought it would be. Other astronomers had their doubt when the discovery was announced. How could anything this tiny have enough mass to disturb the orbit of Neptune?

Of course, once you discover something, it should be named. At the time there were numerous suggestions including Slipher, Zeus, Percival, Constance, Minerva, and Cronus. However, the name that won out in the end was Pluto, suggested by eleven-year-old Venetia Burney, who had an interest in classical mythology.

Over the years, various calculations were done to determine Pluto’s actual mass. In the 1960s it was reduced, and again in 1970. In 1978, Pluto’s moon Charon was discovered. The actual diameter of Pluto turned out to about two thirds of the size of our Moon. In 2005 two additional moons were discovered by the Hubble telescope. Nix and Hydra are tiny (around 50 to 100 kilometers in diameter), Kerberos was discovered during the New Horizons fly-by in 2011, and in 2012, Styx was also discovered. All four additional moons are miniscule compared to Charon itself.

But how does this relate to astrology? Astrology states that Pluto is a major influence on world events as it's symbolic of transformation. It destroys old structures to make way for newer ones. It can cause power struggles and can be a harbinger of wider destruction.

If we review the scientific data, we have these major points to consider in terms of astrology.

• Pluto is unobservable to the naked eye. It was barely observable with telescopes when it was discovered. It is not one of the ‘wandering stars’ as the planets were called in Ancient Greece. When astrology was developed in Mesopotamia, and Ancient Greece, they were unaware of Pluto's existence. If Pluto signifies transformation, power struggles and the destruction of old structures, does this mean that astrologers didn't correctly practice mundane astrology (the astrology of world events) until after 1932?

• It’s designation as a planet was in doubt when it was first discovered.

• It was named by an eleven-year-old based on her interests and for no other reason. In fact, it could have been named something else altogether depending on the votes.

• Pluto is locked in a binary orbit with its biggest moon (Charon), and has five other moons associated with it (Hydra, Kerberos, Nix and Styx). When using Pluto in a chart, what is an astrologer doing? Reading for the combined binary orbit of Pluto and Charon? Reading for all the bodies orbiting Pluto? Or just Pluto?

• Its mass is tiny. It's two thirds the size of our Moon, and 4.67 billion miles away (or 7.5 billion kilometers) . How does Pluto become a major player in astrology but not the thousands of other Kuiper Belt objects?

And lastly, let's not forget that correlation is not causation. As per the site Spurious Correlations, you can correlate just about anything with anything else. Here's one that correlates the divorce rate in Maine with the per capita consumption of margarine.

Just because Pluto can (apparently) be correlated with world events when viewed in the rear view mirror does not mean that traditional planets used in astrology couldn't be similarly correlated (for example, Mars, or Saturn as per the ancient astrologers view of malefics).

Modern astrologers use numerous unobservable bodies in their charts, including Neptune, Pluto, and asteroids. If astrologers can use any objects they want in a chart to make a chart fit the narrative of a person's life or world events, then there are plenty of other cosmic phenomenon that would do a much better job. For example, muons are very cool particles that occur as a result of cosmic rays penetrating the Earth's atmosphere. They've been used to make some amazing discoveries, including a previously unknown chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza. If astrologers are going to incorporate various objects that are only observable through telescopes, then why not start incorporating particle physics and dark energy/matter? Dark energy/matter makes up far more of the universe than actual matter (which only makes up 5%). If modern astrology can use any particular phenomena that can be observed by astronomers, then surely dark energy/matter would have far more of an effect astrologically simply due to its sheer size?

Or (and let's be real here) every event and planet are probably spurious correlations we subconsciously produce in an attempt to make sense of our lives. But that's okay. Humanity has been searching for meaning from the time they gained consciousness. Astrology is one of those systems, and a system that is extremely ancient. However, being clear about the astrological 'rules' in terms of what can, and cannot be used, rather than cherry picking what suits, would go a long way in helping astrology appear slightly more reputable.