History

A great healer, astrologer, and respected oracle, Chiron was said to be the first among centaurs and highly revered as a teacher and tutor. During an assault by wild centaurs, Heracles (Hercules) was forced to shoot many arrows, poisoned with the blood of the Hydra, to drive them back. Chiron was hit in the thigh by one of the poisoned arrows.

Ironically, Chiron, the master of the healing arts, could not heal himself and willingly gave up his immortality. For this reason, his half-brother Zeus took pity on him and placed him among the stars to be honoured forever.

Chiron in Astronomy

Named after the mythological Centaurs, these planetary bodies orbit the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune and cross the orbits of one or more of the giant planets. It has been estimated there are around 44,000 centaurs in the Solar System with diameters larger than 1 kilometre. The first Centaur to be discovered was 944 Hidalgo in 1920 and the largest is 10199 Chariklo, which at 260 kilometers across is as big as a mid-sized main-belt asteroid, and is known to have a system of rings.

No centaur has been photographed up close, although there is evidence that Saturn's moon Phoebe, imaged by the Cassini probe in 2004, may be a captured centaur. In addition, the Hubble Space Telescope has gleaned some information about the surface features of 8405 Asbolus.

Chiron was first recorded in 1977 by US Astronomer, Charles Kowal. As of 2008, 3 centaurs have been found to display comet like comas, these include 2060 Chiron and 60558 Echeclus. Chiron and Echeclus are therefore classified as both asteroids and comets. Any centaur that is close enough to the Sun is expected to become a comet. This potential for dual classification is why they are called Centaurs.

Chiron is about 200 km in diameter and travels in an unstable, eccentric orbit that crosses that of Saturn and passes just inside that of Uranus with an orbit period of 50.45 years.

Chiron in Astrology

Chiron represents a personal wound we carry into this life on a soul level. Chiron shows us where in life we can both heal ourselves, and others. The issues surrounding the wound can manifest through emotions, physical illness or mental health struggles, and until we focus on healing, that pain continues.

Where Chiron is positioned in our natal chart, shows us where and how we continue to self injure, and where and how we can move forward through the pain to bring true healing. In this we also affect others, bringing healing opportunities to those we interact with, teach or mentor, as we work to alleviate our own suffering.

Chiron Asks

• How can I understand what my wound is?
• Where and how do I work on my healing?
• How can I help others find their own healing journey?

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