Monday 17 March 2014

(5370) Taranis, threatening material objects

(5370) Taranis is a centaur in 2:1 resonance with Jupiter, discovered in September of 1986. Its orbit is between Earth-Mars and Jupiter. It has a perihelion of 1.21 AU and an aphelion of 5.44 AU. The semimajor axis is at 3.33 AU. It has a diameter of about 3.6 km. It has an inclination of 19.0º.

(5370) Taranis was discovered in the months following the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl, ocurred in April of 1986:

"The Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and resulting deaths, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale (the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011).

Immediately after the accident, the greater concern focused in the radioactive iodine, with a half-life of eight days. To date 2011, concerns are focused on the contamination of ground with strontium-90 and cesium-137, with half-lives of about 30 years. The highest levels of cesium-137 were found in the superficial layers of the ground, where they are absorbed by plants, insects and fungi, entering in the food chain." (Wikipedia: Chernobyl disaster)

 

Celtic mythology

Taranis was the Gaulish god of thunder (Irish 'torann' and Gallic 'Taran'), especially worshiped in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula (Asturias). His symbols were the wheel and the thunderbolt.


"A yang line develops below two yin lines and presses upward forcibly.  This movement is so violent that it arouses terror. It is symbolized by thunder,  which bursts forth from the earth and by its shock causes fear and trembling." (hexagram 51 of I-Ching)



Threatening material objects

(5370) Taranis is related with threatening material objects, that cause restlessness, fear or terror.

"Open Water" (2004)


Intense faith even in adverse material circumstances

On the other hand, (5370) Taranis is also able to develop a strong faith, that is not supported by any tangible circumstance of the environment, like the leap of faith at the end of the movie "Labyrinth" (1986). 

"When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. Let the thunder roll and spread terror a hundred miles around: he remains so composed and reverent in spirit that the sacrificial rite is not interrupted. This is the spirit that must animate leaders and rulers of men— a profound inner seriousness from which all terrors glance off harmlessly." (Judgement of hexagram 51 of I-Ching) 

Tuesday 4 March 2014

(306367) Nut, the transition point between the storm and the rainbow

(306367) Nut is an apollo asteroid discovered in October of 1960. However, after its discovery, it was not observed again until September 1999. It was officially named in April 2012.
 
The orbit is between Mercury-Venus and Jupiter, from which it forms an orbital piercing towards the main belt. It has a perihelion of 0.65 AU and an aphelion of 4.41 AU. The semimajor axis is at 2.53 AU. It has an orbital period of 4 years and 10 days. It has an inclination of 3.8º.

Orbital resonance:
7:15 with Mars (%100.0)
-
8:7 with Ceres (%100.0)
9:10 with Vesta (99.9)
13:12 with Juno (99.9)
18:13 with Hygiea (99.9)


 

Egyptian mythology

Nut was the goddess of heaven, creator of the universe and the stars. It was the protector of the dead, who came to her for food and protection; She gave to the deceased the faculty of rebirth.


In the sarcophagi she was represented as protecting the deceased with outstretched wings; or inside it, as a women with their raised arms, helping them to be reborn in the Beyond; or as a naked woman, with the arched body by way of celestial vault, clothed with stars. (Wikipedia)

"Dragon Ball Z Kai" (2009)

(306367) Nut is related with the transition point between stages, when starting new life just after the resolution of a difficult situation, like at the beginning of the manga-anime "Dragon Ball Z Kai" (2009) or at the end of the video games "Metal Gear Solid" (PSX, 1999) and "Tomb Raider" (2013), or in the movies "The Bourne Identity" (2002) and "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007).

"Divergent" (2014)